Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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138. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will request the RSA to retain the nursing profession as essential workers for the emergency driving test request system. [42502/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Under legislation, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is the body responsible for the operation of the Driving Test. The scheduling of driving tests is an operational matter for the RSA, and I do not have any role in this process.

During the Covid pandemic, the driver testing service has prioritised tests for essential workers. Since May 2021, the RSA has been returning to delivering tests for all customers, while continuing to prioritise critical frontline workers who meet strict criteria for a test. This should make the overall process fairer and more transparent for all.

For this purpose, the RSA are defining a critical frontline worker as someone who works in one of the following:

- The HSE or private hospital providing health services

- the emergency services 

They must also:

- need to drive as part of their job (this does not include commuting to and from their job).