Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of driver test delays. I appreciate it has been raised before in the House but it remains a significant issue with more than 100,000 people currently waiting for a test, according to the latest figures from the Road Safety Authority, RSA. I want acknowledge the Government has taken action by hiring additional testers and opening ten temporary testing centres but it is simply not enough. It is a huge issue in Galway and across the county. However, there is also a backlog with the driver theory test, with more than 120,000 people waiting for it. This will obviously have a very significant impact, in terms of increasing the number of people waiting for driver tests, when that backlog of in excess of 120,000 people currently waiting for the theory test is cleared. This needs to be resolved and there is only one way to do so, namely, increasing the number of tests being held on a weekly basis. In addition, serious consideration must be given to introducing weekend testing. This will obviously require the hiring of additional testers, a recruitment process involving advertising positions and holding interviews, and will take time. There is no point waiting for another two months when we know exactly what will happen in terms of the number of people waiting and the length of time they are going to have to wait. It is a significant problem in Galway, where there are more than 10,000 students between NUIG and GMIT and they are travelling longer distances because of the accommodation crisis. As such, there are a number of issues. In the grand scheme of things, the cost of this will be a drop in the ocean but it is something that will make an immediate tangible impact on the lives of thousands of young people, particularly those who are naturally not legally allowed to drive alone and are having to pay significantly higher premiums.

I would be grateful if the Leader could contact the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and request he appear before the House at his earliest opportunity.