Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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206. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps, if any, that are being taken to alleviate the current long waiting lists for applicants who are endeavouring to apply for a driving test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54929/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Due to the COVID pandemic, and the necessary ensuing precautions, I understand that a significant backlog of driver testing services developed. Since public health restrictions have eased, considerable progress has been made, and waiting times have reduced significantly.

Pre Covid, the target national average wait for a test was 10 weeks. On the eve of the pandemic, however, the actual waiting time was approximately six and a half weeks. This increased to 25 weeks during the pandemic. The pre-pandemic national average target wait of ten weeks was once again achieved by the end of 2021. Projections made early last year had estimated it would be February 2022 before this point was reached.

There has also been an increase in application volumes and learners becoming eligible to take their test since the start of the year as the economy once again reopened and many learners who availed of increased capacity in the Driver Theory Test are now becoming eligible.

Having statutory responsibility for the operation of the national driving test service, early in 2022, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) conducted a review of the current and evolving needs of the driver tester service. This review recommended that the number of permanent driver testers employed by the RSA should be raised from 100 to 130. Following due consideration, my Department gave approval for these additional personnel in June 2022. Recruitment is underway and the RSA hope to see new testers commence work before year end.