Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, is very welcome to the House. This is the first opportunity I have had to debate him in his new role. I congratulate him on his appointment and wish him every success with it.

The subject I am going to discuss, driving test waiting times, is nothing new to the Minister of State. The average waiting time for counties Monaghan and Cavan is approximately 28 weeks, with the national average having stood at approximately 18.4 weeks. Granted, the figures are significantly lower than the crazy high at the end of April, 27 weeks. I acknowledge progress is being made by the Road Safety Authority, RSA, but the waiting period is still too long. I believe 16.3 weeks is now the national average. While I compliment everybody involved on the progress, including the Minister of State, the waiting period is still too long. The Minister of State does not need me to tell him that a person from rural Ireland faces public transport challenges that those from other parts of the country do not have to endure, and that the car is the only show in town for somebody in a rural area who wishes to get from A to B. The delay is very frustrating for those waiting on driving tests, some of whom might have jobs that hang on a successful test. There is a very frustrating experience all around.

I welcome the fact that the RSA has issued a ten-week waiting-time target. This is to be achieved by September, which is only six weeks away. I welcome the Minister of State’s ambition but just wonder how realistic the target is. I would be delighted to hear his comments on it. I understand that about 100,000 people are waiting for a driving test. I wonder how practical the target of the RSA, while welcome, is. There is a need for more staff and for staff to work additional hours at weekends. In fairness to the Minister of State, I have heard him saying all these things. We also need more driving test centres.

We have a problem with the system in that there are crazy delays. We need to address this immediately. We need a system that works properly for people and that will, I hope, make the frustration that many are enduring a thing of the past. I acknowledge and welcome that the Minister of State has grabbed this matter by the scruff of the neck since entering his Department. Perhaps he could update us on the latest waiting times for counties Monaghan and Cavan, and indeed elsewhere. What is the position on staff recruitment and new driving test centres? What is the plan to ensure a properly functioning system once we get over the current hump?

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. As he will be aware, under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the RSA has statutory responsibility for the national driver testing service. The service has experienced unprecedented demand in recent years, with the number of applications for a driving test having increased significantly since 2021.

In 2024, a total of 253,850 driving tests were conducted, up from 196,853 in 2023, making it a record year for the delivery of tests. The delivery of this number of tests was possible only because of the support of our testing staff, through significant levels of overtime and operational efficiencies.

The return to an average waiting time of ten weeks for a driver test is a priority for me. To that end, I have engaged extensively with the CEO of the RSA. Ten weeks reflects a service level agreement that has been in place.

At my instruction, the RSA published its comprehensive action plan to return the target average driver test waiting time to ten weeks by early September. This plan sets out the actions that will be taken by the RSA to achieve this goal. The plan also includes targets against which the RSA is required to report to me on a fortnightly basis. The latest report on the plan has now been published and it is positive that there continues to be progress in reducing the average waiting times. As of 12 July, the RSA was reporting that the average national waiting time for a driving test was approximately 14 weeks. This builds on the progress made during May and June and is an improvement of almost 13 weeks on the waiting time at the end of April, 27 weeks.

This progress has been achieved through a number of positive actions taken by the RSA, including accelerated driver tester training, which was lacking, booking system management and extended testing hours, including in the evening, at weekends and on bank holidays. It is vital that this positive trend continue and that the RSA, at a minimum, meet the targets set out in its published plan for restoring the service to an average waiting time of ten weeks under the service level agreement. Should any deviations from projected timelines arise, these must be immediately escalated to my Department.The RSA has also been instructed to make contingency preparation to deal with any potential slippage that might emerge in relation to this timeline, which should be ready to be activated as quickly as possible should that need arise.

In relation to Cavan and Monaghan, while progress is being made I must acknowledge that there are variations across the test centres behind the national average, with some candidates waiting for longer than the average and some having a shorter wait. At the end of June the average waiting time at the Cavan test centre was 12 weeks, which is below the national average and a significant improvement on the 22-week waiting time recorded at the end of April, before the recovery plan was adopted. On the other hand there is still work to be done on reducing waiting times in Monaghan. Although wait times have reduced by four weeks between the end of April and the end of June from 22 weeks to 18 weeks, this is still well above what is acceptable. With 30 additional testers entering the service this month, I expect we will see considerable progress at all locations by the end of July.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I will take this opportunity to compliment him.. Since he came into office, he has grabbed this issue by the scruff of the neck and it is clear that progress is being made. I am disappointed, however, in the times for Monaghan. It just seems to be a bit of an outlier in that regard. I ask that the Minister of State would give particular focus to Monaghan to bring it to a level similar to the national average and to that of the neighbouring county of Cavan. That would be our ambition. Is there a particular focus on Monaghan bearing in mind that the wait time seems to be abnormally high there compared to elsewhere? Is there a specific reason for that? The ten-week average by September and the fact that the Minister of State is getting fortnightly reports is very positive. I thank the Minister of State for his work. It is clear that the issue is being tackled and taken seriously. I thank him for his work on that.

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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I thank the Senator again for raising this matter. It is important and the Senator's constructive contributions are very much welcomed. I reiterate that the Government recognises the need to address the longstanding issue in relation to the service provision and to ensure that a reliable and high-quality driver testing service is available throughout the State. I understand that the unacceptable waiting times for driving tests are having a significant impact on people across the country, including in Monaghan and Cavan and especially for those residing in rural areas where public transport may be limited.

My Department and the RSA are acutely aware of these challenges and are working to bring the times back to the service level agreement target of ten weeks as quickly as possible. One of my first actions as Minister of State was to ensure the RSA had a plan in place to deliver the target. They are now reporting on the plan to me fortnightly, as well as publishing their progress for the public to see it transparently. I am pleased to report that. I am sure Senators would welcome that the progress made since April has been significant with both Cavan and Monaghan seeing their respective waiting times come down at ten weeks and four weeks respectively. Achieving the ten-week target is important not only in terms of the learner driver's experience of the service, it is also a vital component in the delivery of our road safety strategy, on which we all have an ambition. Based on the progress to date I am confident the RSA will achieve its targets in September and I will be managing it on a fortnightly basis.