Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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207. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when driver testing for heavy goods vehicles can be restarted given that it is causing difficulties in the haulage industry. [21647/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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On Monday 29 June, driving tests resumed on a gradual basis for trucks, buses and motorcycles. Driving tests for cars, minibuses and vans resumed from the 16 July.

Due to the social distancing requirements, normal daily capacity is considerably reduced. This means that customers will experience longer waiting times than was the case before the service was suspended. The public’s patience and understanding in this regard is requested.

Those who had appointments cancelled due to Covid 19 are being prioritised in the first instance. Initially, only those who are front-line healthcare workers will be deemed eligible for an urgent test slot. This approach for prioritising customers will be kept under review as the RSA moves through the service resumption.

My Department is remaining in close contact with the RSA, which is exploring how further to manage backlogs while prioritizing public health, and this process is being informed by lessons learned as centres operate under the new health restrictions.