Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 590: To ask the Minister for Transport the waiting time and number of applicants on the waiting list and the number of testers in respect of each driving test centre in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29504/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy, as at 10 October, is set out as follows:

Driver testers are assigned to headquarter centres. Other test centres within the region are served from the headquarter centres.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 591: To ask the Minister for Transport his views on the growth in the backlog of persons waiting to sit the driving test by 12,000 since February 2005; the efforts he is making to reduce this backlog; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29508/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In order to deal with the unacceptable delays in obtaining a driving test, my Department and the Department of Finance have agreed a package of measures to reduce the backlog of driving test applications. The package includes a bonus scheme for driver testers, the recruitment of additional testers as well as the temporary outsourcing of a block of tests for a set period.

The use of temporary outsourcing is being disputed by the staff associations, which have asked that the matter be referred to conciliation under the terms of Sustaining Progress. A conciliation hearing at the Labour Relations Commission is scheduled for 21 October 2005.