Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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160. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he considers it acceptable that a young person in Donegal (details supplied) who needs a car for getting to and from work, but lives in a rural area with little or no public transport options, should wait approximately seven months before they can book a test date, then face other possible delays before the test is conducted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41907/23]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service. However, I would like to assure the Deputy that my officials and I take the current driver testing backlog extremely seriously. My Department is working closely with the Authority to address the issue of driver testing waiting times, which is affecting many throughout the State, including in Donegal.

The service has been under significant pressure to meet unprecedented demand, which has increased by 28% compared with 2021 figures. In response to these pressures, the Authority reviewed the capacity of the driver testing service and, following a request for additional resources, my Department gave approval for the recruitment of up to 75 additional driver testers. This brings the total number of sanctioned driver tester posts to just over 200.

This recruitment is underway and being managed by the Authority. I have been advised that the first tranche of new recruits has been deployed this month. The additional driver testers are being allocated across the driver testing service with a focus on the geographical areas with the longest waiting times and highest demand for tests.

It is expected that as additional driver testers are trained and deployed, the backlog for driver testing services will begin to decline and agreed service levels resuming by mid-2024.