Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Byrne for making a very pertinent point about young people. In the previous Commencement debate we discussed energy poverty. The phenomenon of transport poverty has a real impact on young people's ability to access training and the labour market. I absolutely appreciate that. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, who is unavailable as she is launching the 2020 Road Safety Authority Christmas and new year road safety campaign.

The driving test service is a statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority, RSA. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Department of Transport has been in constant contact with the RSA regarding all of its services, the impact of Covid-19 thereon and how they can be best maintained under the current circumstances. As the Senator is aware, driving tests were first temporarily suspended due to Covid-19 in March 2020. The service resumed on a gradual basis in mid-July. This was only possible because of detailed work done by the RSA in conjunction with expert medical advice to examine each aspect of the testing process and ensure that resumed tests would be safe for the public. Since resuming operations, there has inevitably been an increased level of demand due to the consequent backlog. Unfortunately service capacity has been considerably reduced due to social distancing and other public health and hygiene requirements. This means that customers experience longer waiting times than was the case before the service was suspended. Around 51% of those awaiting a test have been waiting for less than three months. Waiting times can vary from centre to centre, with others waiting for as long as 30 weeks, as the Senator pointed out.

In addition, level 5 restrictions, which took effect for the six weeks from 22 October to 1 December 2020, meant that driving tests were only available to those involved in essential services, including essential retail work. While the Minister of State regrets any inconvenience caused, public safety must remain paramount. The Road Safety Authority is currently examining ways to increase the number of tests while staying within health constraints, and is working in close consultation with the Department of Transport on this matter. Measures to this end include increasing the number of testing staff to help reduce and eventually eliminate the backlog. The Department of Transport has recently approved the retention by the RSA of 18 temporary driving testers whose contracts were due to expire in October and November. The RSA has also rehired a further 18 temporary testers whose contracts expired in May. This will help increase testing capacity.

However, it must be stressed that many of the factors impacting on the delivery of the service stem from the effect of restrictions on the throughput of centres themselves rather than the availability of staff. The RSA is also considering a number of other measures, including examining whether the number of tests a driving tester can perform each day can be increased within the current health constraints. Each testing slot now takes a much longer time to complete due to the additional hygiene and sanitary procedures that are now absolutely necessary. As a result, the number of tests a tester can safely conduct per day was reduced from eight to five when the service reopened. Following experience of managing the tests under Covid-19 restrictions, this number was increased to six in mid-September. It may rise to seven depending on health assurances, but not until January 2021 at the earliest.

The Department of Transport has been in discussions with the RSA on how to return to the normal target of a maximum waiting time of about ten weeks. It is clear that it will not be possible to reach this point quickly because of the restrictions necessitated by the pandemic. The RSA has presented a plan to the Department of Transport which would see a return to a ten-week waiting time by early 2022. While this is not as soon as anyone would like, it is important to recognise that there are no quick fixes. The continuing build-up of applications as the pandemic goes on means it will take time to achieve a normal waiting time. It is also important to remember that this target could be impacted if a further lockdown proves to be necessary in the future.