Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address the issue of delays on driver tests. There are delays in getting the theory test. I logged on this morning to see if I could get a theory test in Gorey before Christmas. It was quite difficult to get anything in the immediate vicinity but a lot of my concern is around the driver test itself. I am aware that the Road Safety Authority, RSA, has set a target that if a person applies for a driver test he or she will get that within ten weeks, but at the moment those waiting to have the driver test are waiting for up to 30 weeks. If one logs on at the moment for a driver test, one could be waiting until July. A person would be quicker, and more likely, to get the Covid vaccine than a driver test. This impacts on all age groups but it especially impacts on younger people. The Minister of State will appreciate that it particularly impacts those who live in rural areas or where public transport is not an alternative.

There is a knock-on impact for this problem. Provisional drivers must rely on a parent or guardian to be able to drive with them. I spoke to a mother who lives just outside Gorey who every morning has to drive her daughter 45 minutes to work and then drive her back 45 minutes in the evening, while the mother is also trying to work. There are lots of other examples, as I am sure the Minister of State is aware. While those young and other drivers are on a provisional licence, their insurance premium is a lot higher also.

There is also the difficulty that impacts on younger people where the person gets a job offer, for example, and the job offer depends on having a full driving licence. The person, however, cannot get a full licence because she or he cannot get a test. With the challenge of youth unemployment we must prioritise this issue coming out of this crisis. We have got to ensure that those who require a driving licence can get it.

I am aware that the Government has been talking about this and the RSA has talked about additional staff to be able to meet this demand but we need to know when they are going to be in place. When will the RSA start to employ these staff? When will we get back down to the ten week target set by the RSA?Given this issue's particular impact on a large number of young people I ask the Minister of State to make this a priority.