Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

49. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will review correspondence (details supplied); if he will expedite a driving test for the person given particular circumstances outlined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40135/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service. This includes all application and scheduling matters. Neither I nor my officials are involved in the service at an operational level or in individual cases.

Given the RSA's responsibility in this matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the RSA for direct response. Please contact my office if a reply is not received within ten days.

Pending this response, I acknowledge that current waiting times for driving tests are far in excess of what is acceptable. I would like to assure the Deputy that this is a priority issue for me and that measures are being taken to return the service to the agreed 10-week waiting period.

To support the RSA in increasing testing capacity and improving service delivery, in September 2024 my Department sanctioned an additional 70 permanent positions for driver testers. This increases the total permanent sanction for testers to 200, which represents a doubling of permanent posts since June 2022.

The first tranche of new testers began live testing at the end of April, with 30 further additional testers entering service across the month of July. By September, the RSA expects to have deployed up to its sanction of 200 testers.

As of 12 July, the RSA is reporting that the average national waiting time for a driving test stood at approximately 14 weeks. This builds on the progress made during May and June, and is an improvement of almost 13 weeks on the wait time at the end of April of 27 weeks.

This progress has been achieved through a number of positive actions taken by the RSA including around accelerated driver tester training, extended testing hours and management of the booking system.

It is vital that this positive trend continues and that the RSA, at a minimum, meets the targets set out in its published plan for restoring the service to its 10-week average wait time service level agreement target.

In addition, should any deviations from projected timelines arise, these must be immediately addressed with my Department. The RSA has also been instructed to make contingency preparations to deal with any potential slippages that might emerge in relation to this timeline, which should be ready to be activated as quickly as possible if the need arises.