Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 345: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of driving testers that will be recruited by his Department; the number of these who will be recruited via the public competition; the qualification and knowledge which they must have of the rules of the road; the number of years that they must be driving to be eligible for appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19114/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As part of the response to deal with the waiting times for driving test additional staff have been made available to the driving test service. 7 staff have been redeployed from the Department of Agriculture and Food and have commenced testing following their period of training. A further 11 driver testers, recruited through the Public Appointment Service, are due to commence training before the end of this month. The qualifications required for the position of driver tester, as set out for the recent recruitment campaign, are as follows: have a good general education; have a satisfactory knowledge of the "Rules of the Road", road procedures and the law relating to road traffic insofar as it concerns the driver of a mechanically propelled vehicle; have had five years satisfactory driving experience within the seven years ending on 25 June 2005; possess excellent interpersonal skills-be able to communicate clearly orally and have the capacity to remain calm and courteous in dealing with driving test applicants; hold (if called for a driving test as part of the recruitment process), for five years, a clean full driving licence valid in the State on the day of the test; possess report writing skills with reference to clarity, accuracy and conciseness; and have experience in dealing with members of the public. Desirable for the job: have the confidence to take responsibility for achievement of objectives; have good organisation skills; and have the ability to work effectively as part of a team.