Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

I thank Members for their contributions. There is nothing that divides us in this debate, including the need for action and proactivity. I reiterate that the Minister and Ministers of State in the Department, in particular Deputy Canney, recognise everything Senators have said today. I smile when I hear people talk abut managing headlines. The only headline I want refers to a reduction in waiting times. We want the people about whom all of the Senators spoke to be able to get a test. We are committed to that. If I wanted to manage a headline, I would come into the House and offer different propaganda. I did not do that. The waiting times are unacceptable and we accept that. We want to solve the issue, not to spin, or to go out on social media, get a headline with our supporters and blame the Government for everything that is wrong. What we must do is to put in place a reliable, high-quality driver testing service that is available to all our neighbours and family members across the country.

We are actively looking at additional centres, including one in Drogheda. We have started the process of recruitment. We are conscious as a Government, as I am as the Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, of the deficit of public transport in rural life and areas. We are committed to increasing the supply of public transport, as we have. Let us be clear, no matter who we are or where we come from ideologically, we are all in agreement about the need to decisively address the long-standing issue relating to service provision and ensure we get answers for our friends, families and neighbours.

The ten-week target time must be achieved because of the examples Senators have shared in the Chamber and those with which we deal every day. Delays have a high impact on the lives of people. Senators Brady, Sarah O'Reilly, Tully and Cosgrove all gave examples of people whose lives and livelihoods have been impacted. It is a rite of passage. We need to take back that ten-week waiting time.

It is about ensuring as part of our road safety strategy that we meet our ambition of halving our road deaths and serious injuries this decade. That will be done by having a service that is competent and delivers, and ensures that all drivers are well-trained and equipped to deal with the challenges of a modern road network and what driving requires of us all.

Let me be clear. I will go to Ballina and will bring Senator Duffy with me. We need accountability. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, has met representatives of the RSA. There has been engagement and a restructuring of the RSA is coming. The RSA, which is the statutory body, has given a commitment to returning the service to the target average waiting time of ten weeks by early September. As I said, this will happen in a number of stages. At the end of this month, the average waiting time will be 22 weeks and at the end of June, it will be 18 weeks, and so on.

Let me make a point to the people who speak about accountability. The RSA will publish its plan on Thursday. It will set out the pathway and timeline. It will then report to the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, on the progress of its plan every two weeks. I hope those in this Chamber who spoke about the headline piece will remember that the RSA will report every two weeks to the Minister of State, Deputy Canney. That will give greater transparency to Members of the Oireachtas and, more importantly, to an gná duine, the citizen outside who is coming to us with expectations and demands. Where there is a risk that the September timeline will not be met, the RSA has been instructed to ensure that contingency plans and remedial measures are put in place and ready to deploy to ensure there is no slippage in that timeline.

As I have said, our population has increased significantly. There was a record number of applicants for a driving test last year. There were 275,000 new test applications. The RSA is responsible and the Department is working to support it. The additional driving testers who were sanctioned have been recruited. Some of them started last month and others are starting this month. There has been a doubling of the staff sanctioned in a two-year period. More than 200 roles have been advertised. The numbers reflect the fact that between 2023 and 2024, waiting times halved. That is where the number comes from in terms of the whole piece around recruitment.

Senator Tully mentioned the issue of retirement, which needs to be factored in, and I am told it has been. The RSA has told us it is confident that the permanent positions now on offer will attract and retain more testers than was the case with the temporary sanction. We will see those vacancies filled fully.

As additional testers enter the system, the testing capacity will increase and progress should be seen in a reduction in waiting times. Senator Lynch asked about the timeline for testers being put in place. There has been a change in respect of overtime and work patterns. I thank the existing staff, who do an incredible job. They are not at fault for the delay. They are doing the best they can. Perhaps in some cases there is a persnicketiness around different things. We must remember that extensive voluntary overtime helped last year. That included weekend rostering and working. The incentivisation programme is being considered for this year as well.

I will clear up an anomaly and misunderstanding about the IT system. The RSA introduced a new IT system, which brought about improvements to maximise the number of test slots and reduce the number of test slots lost due to cancellations and no-shows. I reiterate for Members that once individuals have been invited to book tests, they can book slots that have been released at short notice following a cancellation on the MyRoadSafety portal. I will take back Senator Tully's point that a one-hour wait on the app is too long. It should be easier and user-friendly. Nothing is worse than bad customer service or poor apps. I am sure all of us have been on different systems to book things. As you get to the ninth step of ten, you miss something and must go back to the first step. I will bring back the Senator's point. I will give a figure to the Members of the House. It is a minor figure that shows the system is working. Prior to the change in the system, we had a 95% utilisation rate. The rate is now up to 98%. That shows this is working and that transparency in terms of publishing information does work.

I reiterate that I and my colleagues in government recognise the significant impact this is having on people. We are making changes and trying to improve public transport. My role in the Department of Rural and Community Development is also about ensuring we have a better public transport offering. There is a commitment by the RSA. On Thursday, we will see the publication of the plan for a waiting time of ten weeks by September. That plan will set out the actions. We will hold the RSA to account. I am confident the targets for service improvement will deliver real progress beginning this month. Reducing waiting times is a priority. We should not compromise on testing standards and we should ensure that recruitment delivers sufficient testing capacity of an appropriate standard.

Senator Craughwell's contribution is one that I will consider, but the issue of pension abatement may be a stumbling block. I thank the Senator for his comments and his commitment. We are at the beginning of a new chapter. I hope that when I or the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, come back to the House, we will see the additional capacity bringing a solution, wait times being progressively reduced and a better outcome for people. I thank all Senators for their contributions.