Written answers
Wednesday, 25 May 2005
Department of Transport
Driving Tests
9:00 pm
Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 147: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason a medical certificate from the Aviation Authority is not acceptable as a medical certificate for the issuing or retention of a driving licence. [17490/05]
Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Road Traffic Act 1961 and the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 1999 to 2004, it is a matter for the appropriate licensing authority to process applications for a driving licence and to issue licenses. The regulations also provide that the medical report must be in a scheduled form, must be signed by a registered medical practitioner and indicate that in the opinion of the registered medical practitioner the applicant meets the medical standards set out in the regulations.
Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 148: To ask the Minister for Transport the facilities which are available at each driving test centre in the State; the cost of providing each such centre; the numbers employed at each centre; the number of tests carried in each year since 2000; the failure rate in each centre in each year since 2000; and the cost of running each centre in each year since 2000. [17491/05]
Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Table 1 sets out the number of testers assigned to headquarter centres at present. Driver testers are in turn assigned from headquarter centres to meet the demand in other test centres. The table does not include the chief supervisory tester or the ten supervisory testers.
Table 2 sets out the number of driving tests conducted and the failure rate at each test centre between 2000 and 2004. Information relating to the cost of providing each driving test centre in 2004 is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
| Table 1: Testers Headquartered at Test Centres. | |
| Driving Test Centres | Testers Headquartered |
| North Leinster Region | |
| Finglas | 17 |
| Raheny | 8 |
| Dundalk | — |
| Mullingar | — |
| Navan | 1 |
| South Leinster Region | |
| Churchtown/Rathgar | 15 |
| Tallaght | 11 |
| Gorey | — |
| Naas | 2 |
| Tullamore | — |
| Wicklow | — |
| West Region | |
| Athlone | 2 |
| Birr | — |
| Castlebar | 4 |
| Clifden | — |
| Ennis | 3 |
| Galway | 6 |
| Loughrea | 2 |
| Roscommon | — |
| Tuam | — |
| North West Region | |
| Ballina | — |
| Buncrana | — |
| Carrick-on-Shannon | 2 |
| Cavan | 2 |
| Donegal | — |
| Letterkenny | 3 |
| Longford | — |
| Monaghan | 1 |
| Sligo | 2 |
| South East Region | |
| Carlow | 1 |
| Clonmel | 2 |
| Dungarvan | — |
| Kilkenny | 2 |
| Nenagh | — |
| Portlaoise | 1 |
| Thurles | — |
| Tipperary | — |
| Waterford | 4 |
| Wexford | 4 |
| South West Region | |
| Cork | 13 |
| Killarney | 2 |
| Kilrush | — |
| Limerick | 4 |
| Mallow | — |
| Newcastle West | — |
| Shannon | — |
| Skibbereen | — |
| Tralee | 2 |
| Table 2 Tests Conducted and Failure Rate 2000-2004 | ||||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | ||||||
| Centre | Tests | % Fail | Tests | % Fail | Tests | % Fail | Tests | % Fail | Tests | % Fail |
| Athlone | 1,339 | 45.3 | 1,953 | 50.5 | 1,505 | 46.1 | 1,901 | 43.0 | 2,026 | 40.5 |
| Ballina | 1,636 | 34.7 | 1,496 | 40.1 | 1,658 | 41.9 | 1,908 | 38.8 | 1,871 | 37.6 |
| Birr | 1,441 | 35.7 | 1,671 | 44.4 | 1,513 | 37.7 | 1,809 | 34.9 | 1,557 | 35.3 |
| Buncrana | 859 | 32.9 | 713 | 35.1 | 987 | 36.8 | 1,001 | 34.4 | 836 | 36.5 |
| Carlow | 2,649 | 46.1 | 3,022 | 49.7 | 2,559 | 52.4 | 2,493 | 50.8 | 2,625 | 50.0 |
| Carrick-on-Shannon | 1,511 | 38.8 | 1,620 | 41.6 | 1,565 | 48.8 | 1,573 | 45.6 | 1,648 | 44.5 |
| Castlebar | 2,894 | 41.1 | 3,201 | 44.0 | 3,085 | 41.7 | 3,120 | 37.9 | 3,304 | 37.0 |
| Cavan | 2,368 | 39.6 | 2,024 | 40.2 | 2,513 | 52.7 | 2,307 | 49.8 | 2,534 | 51.7 |
| Churchtown /Rathgar* | 18,263 | 47.0 | 15,258 | 49.0 | 5,091 | 50.0 | 4,505 | 51.7 | 4,835 | 52.5 |
| Clifden | 405 | 41.0 | 575 | 40.0 | 492 | 47.8 | 688 | 44.0 | 656 | 40.7 |
| Clonmel | 2,400 | 46.4 | 2,726 | 43.1 | 1,959 | 43.0 | 2,175 | 48.7 | 2,191 | 48.5 |
| Cork | 11,711 | 40.7 | 13,813 | 39.9 | 10,597 | 40.8 | 10,853 | 44.5 | 10,744 | 44.5 |
| Donegal | 1,525 | 43.1 | 1,427 | 46.0 | 1,606 | 38.7 | 1,605 | 42.9 | 1,691 | 43.3 |
| Dundalk | 4,805 | 44.0 | 4,118 | 43.0 | 4,236 | 50.9 | 3,945 | 48.4 | 4,273 | 47.0 |
| Dungarvan | 2,028 | 44.3 | 1,831 | 42.7 | 1,788 | 45.4 | 1,507 | 42.7 | 1,764 | 39.2 |
| Ennis | 1,796 | 35.6 | 1,991 | 44.6 | 1,628 | 40.4 | 1,894 | 34.5 | 2,250 | 37.3 |
| Finglas | 13,944 | 44.2 | 15,403 | 48.5 | 10,779 | 51.0 | 12,683 | 51.2 | 11,404 | 52.2 |
| Galway | 3,882 | 45.0 | 4,567 | 46.0 | 4,738 | 44.8 | 4,381 | 38.8 | 4,299 | 38.2 |
| Gorey | 2,804 | 47.1 | 2,453 | 48.3 | 2,128 | 48.4 | 2,570 | 47.4 | 2,405 | 51.4 |
| Kilkenny | 2,916 | 42.9 | 2,583 | 49.8 | 2,629 | 47.3 | 2,643 | 44.6 | 2,980 | 44.9 |
| Killarney | 2,549 | 38.4 | 2,921 | 35.4 | 2,524 | 37.8 | 2,454 | 40.0 | 2,286 | 40.8 |
| Kilrush | 709 | 34.3 | 786 | 35.4 | 659 | 40.4 | 812 | 37.7 | 690 | 38.6 |
| Letterkenny | 2,564 | 36.3 | 3,546 | 40.1 | 2,340 | 38.0 | 2,406 | 39.6 | 2,517 | 43.2 |
| Limerick | 5,588 | 36.1 | 5,835 | 36.9 | 4,686 | 38.3 | 4,844 | 39.3 | 4,200 | 38.1 |
| Longford | 1,422 | 35.3 | 1,183 | 40.0 | 1,547 | 43.8 | 1,282 | 44.1 | 1,341 | 47.3 |
| Loughrea | 1,515 | 40.7 | 1,740 | 46.4 | 1,685 | 48.7 | 2,171 | 41.5 | 1,818 | 38.6 |
| Mallow | 2,963 | 37.4 | 3,463 | 39.7 | 2,475 | 38.5 | 2,863 | 42.2 | 2,876 | 43.1 |
| Monaghan | 1,768 | 40.6 | 1,727 | 40.8 | 1,842 | 48.3 | 1,669 | 49.2 | 1,846 | 52.3 |
| Mullingar | 2,482 | 37.7 | 2,533 | 39.4 | 2,318 | 44.2 | 2,454 | 43.0 | 2,638 | 44.2 |
| Naas | 8,280 | 41.4 | 7,384 | 43.0 | 6,174 | 46.1 | 6,378 | 46.4 | 6,659 | 48.1 |
| Navan | 5,150 | 43.6 | 4,793 | 45.6 | 4,938 | 46.8 | 5,236 | 45.6 | 4,983 | 43.9 |
| Nenagh | 919 | 49.0 | 1,007 | 51.2 | 875 | 50.2 | 916 | 50.2 | 743 | 46.7 |
| Newcastle West | 2,569 | 35.3 | 2,812 | 37.8 | 2,014 | 35.6 | 2,706 | 39.5 | 2,402 | 39.6 |
| Portlaoise | 1,921 | 49.8 | 2,021 | 51.4 | 1,789 | 48.6 | 1,836 | 50.0 | 1,676 | 46.7 |
| Raheny | 7,759 | 40.2 | 9,673 | 46.3 | 7,620 | 49.6 | 8,575 | 50.3 | 7,675 | 47.6 |
| * Rathgar | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 7,233 | 49.3 | 7,852 | 51.9 | 7,296 | 58.7 |
| Roscommon | 1,574 | 47.3 | 1,642 | 46.8 | 1,720 | 44.2 | 1,904 | 40.0 | 1,675 | 38.0 |
| Shannon | 1,148 | 25.8 | 1,333 | 29.6 | 1,270 | 35.0 | 1,080 | 33.6 | 1,105 | 35.6 |
| Skibbereen | 2,949 | 35.6 | 3,229 | 36.5 | 2,175 | 40.0 | 2,150 | 40.5 | 2,267 | 38.4 |
| Sligo | 1,899 | 36.4 | 2,163 | 40.5 | 2,339 | 38.0 | 2,161 | 36.5 | 2,155 | 36.8 |
| Tallaght | 6,604 | 47.4 | 10,007 | 48.0 | 9,140 | 50.2 | 9,981 | 49.1 | 10,115 | 51.7 |
| Thurles | 1,328 | 47.5 | 1,429 | 50.2 | 1,131 | 47.4 | 1,070 | 43.7 | 1,135 | 46.4 |
| Tipperary | 1,012 | 50.1 | 1,156 | 50.1 | 898 | 49.2 | 1,124 | 52.1 | 1,124 | 51.1 |
| Tralee | 2,868 | 41.9 | 3,102 | 43.2 | 2,643 | 43.2 | 2,632 | 40.3 | 2,871 | 43.0 |
| Tuam | 1,323 | 40.1 | 1,588 | 44.5 | 1,949 | 44.5 | 2,227 | 35.8 | 1,965 | 35.6 |
| Tullamore | 2,518 | 41.7 | 2,538 | 42.9 | 2,006 | 43.4 | 2,401 | 45.8 | 1,938 | 50.6 |
| Waterford | 3,628 | 47.4 | 3,605 | 46.2 | 3,913 | 45.7 | 3,420 | 44.4 | 4,110 | 44.3 |
| Wexford | 3,226 | 49.7 | 3,586 | 51.1 | 3,318 | 48.1 | 3,408 | 48.5 | 3,320 | 46.3 |
| Wicklow | 3,285 | 52.7 | 3,129 | 52.8 | 2,706 | 51.0 | 2,842 | 52.7 | 2,664 | 55.3 |
| Overall Totals | 162,696 | 42.6 | 172,376 | 44.6 | 148,983 | 45.7 | 56,415 | 45.5 | 153,983 | 46.0 |
| *Rathgar centre combined with Churchtown for 2000 & 2001 |
Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will establish a driving test centre in Drogheda. [17492/05]
Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The present network of driving test centres comprises 54 test centres nationwide. This is generally considered to provide good coverage across the country and represents a reasonable balance between convenience to test applicants and the need for economy in delivering the driver testing service. I have no proposals to provide a test centre in Drogheda as the existing centres in Dundalk, Navan and Finglas provide adequately for the demand in Drogheda and the general area.
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