Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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39. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when action No. 33 of the RSA Road Safety Strategy 2013-2020 (details supplied) will be enacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16271/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Action 33 of the Road Safety Strategy, for which the Road Safety Authority have lead responsibility, is that long term reliance on multiple learner permits should be reduced by introducing measures to ensure that learner permit holders sit a driving test before they can obtain a subsequent learner permit.

I understand from the Road Safety Authority that an action plan has been developed to progress this initiative. However, increases in applications for driving tests coupled with the retirements of driver tester staff have stretched the RSA’s capacity to put the plan in place so it has not yet been launched. As I stated in the debate on driving test waiting times in the Seanad on 25 October 2017, the driver testing service has seen an increase of almost 20% in the levels of driving test applications over the previous four years. This, coupled with the retirements of driver tester staff, has meant that the waiting times for customers for driving tests have, unfortunately, increased.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) currently employs 103.44 full time equivalent driver testers. My Department has sanctioned an additional 28 Driver Testers in October 2016, and all 28 are now conducting driving tests. A further 8 are due to commence work by June 2018.

Sanction was given to the RSA to replace retired testers as required. My Department and the RSA are examining the long term requirements for driver tester numbers to ensure that the Authority can meet future demand.

The RSA is currently undertaking other initiatives in order to increase capacity to deliver extra driving tests. These initiatives include the delivery of 120 extra overtime tests per driver tester who participates. To date, 45 driver testers have delivered the extra tests and I understand that this has yielded more than 5,000 extra tests to date, with further delivery expected over the coming months. Other measures currently being implemented by the RSA include reducing the number of applicant no-shows at the driving test, and making those tests available for other test applicants, better communication with test applicants via text-messaging and via applicants’ Approved Driving Instructors, to reduce non-conducted driving tests, and a new test booking system that will give test applicants much more control over their booking and appointment choice.

The RSA have assured me that they will review their capability to introduce further measures to reduce long term learner permit holding as soon as their capacity to deliver driving tests has increased sufficiently to make that possible.