Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 1077: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount of the contract awarded to allow for the outsourcing of driving tests to a private operator; the locations where such tests will be conducted from; when these tests will commence; the duration of the outsourced contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28313/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 477 of 2006) the Road Safety Authority has responsibility for the delivery of the driving test and the issuing of certificates of competency and the contract with SGS Ltd., the company contracted by me on the 4 July 2006 to conduct driving tests, is now the responsibility of the RSA.

I understand that SGS commenced issuing driving test appointment letters to test candidates during the week commencing 11 September and will begin conducting driving tests during the week commencing 23 October.

The locations of the initial driving test centres to be used by SGS Ltd. are set out in the following table with the RSA's contiguous test centres also indicated. Testing will happen on a phased basis from each of these centres.

SGS Ltd. has been contracted to conduct 40,000 (or 45,000 by agreement) driving tests and the contract period lasts for 18 months or 40,000 completed tests, whichever is the earliest. It would not be appropriate for me to divulge the amount of the contract awarded as such information is of a commercially sensitive nature.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 1078: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason the driver theory test voice-over is in Irish but the text is in English; and the further reason Irish language speakers are not offered full language rights on this issue. [28362/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Driver Theory Test is available in the Irish language in both voice-over and text. Irish language speakers are offered full language rights in relation to this test.