Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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231. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if more personnel will be provided to deal with the backlog of driver tests in County Carlow (details supplied). [36748/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The operation of the driver testing service is the responsibility of the RSA, and I have no role in matters relating to individual tests or individual test locations.

When the initial lockdown took place in March, driver testing services were suspended, and resumed on a phased basis over June and July.  A large backlog built up during the closure period and the difficulty has been compounded due to a reduction of capacity in the system in order to comply with Covid requirements.  As a result, waiting times have risen from 6.5 weeks before the pandemic to between 25 and 30 weeks for a person applying today.

The RSA and my Department have been working closely to identify ways in which to address this situation.  My Deparment has already approved the retention by the RSA of 18 temporary driver testers whose contracts were due to expire in October and November of this year, and the rehiring of up to 19 temporary testers whose contracts expired in May, and I am happy to say that 18 have now been rehired, with only 1 no longer available.  In addition, testers are now conducting 6 tests each per day, as against 5 when the service resumed in the summer.  In normal times, the figure would be 8.  The RSA hopes to be able to increase the amount to 7 in the New Year, depending on the public health situation.

Taken together these measures will help but are not a complete solution to backlog and long waiting times which have developed.  The RSA has presented plans for further measures to address the issue and these are being discussed by my Department with the Authority.  However, I should caution that even with extra resources there are no quick fixes.  The RSA estimates that it may be the end of 2021   before we are back below a 10-week waiting time, which is the standard target level and has been for many years.

Finally I would like to emphasise that, while I appreciate the difficulty which the delay in getting driving tests causes for people, and none of us would want to be in this position, public health must come first.