Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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194. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the roll-out online driver theory tests for tractor, car and motorbike applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23139/21]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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195. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures being put in place to deal with the backlog in driver theory tests for tractor, car and motorbike applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23140/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 194 and 195 together.

The RSA is engaging with its service provider to examine ways of increasing the number of tests within the current health constraints for when services resume. In this regard, the aim is to double capacity at test centres over a three-month period.

Normal capacity before the pandemic was approximately 15,000 tests per month. When the service reopened in June 2020, this was increased to 25,000 to deal with the backlog which had developed by that point. Based on the capacity of 25,000 tests per month, the aim is to provide an additional 25,000 tests per month on top of this for the first 3 months of reopening, or a total of 75,000 extra test appointments over the three-month period. This would make substantial inroads into numbers waiting over that time period.

In addition to the increased capacity initiative, the RSA is working to deliver an online driver theory test service. The online service has been trialled on a pilot basis for those taking a theory test for trucks and buses and is now being evaluated with a view to extending the online service to all test types during 2021 However, scaling up operations to facilitate higher numbers will take time to achieve.