Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2024
190. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide an update on the waiting time for driving tests in Castlebar, Ballina, and Tuam; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42775/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service and the information requested is held by that organisation. I have therefore referred the Deputy's question to the RSA for direct reply. Please contact my office if a response is not received within ten days.
To address the issue of increased testing demand and excessive waiting times for a driving test, the RSA submitted a business case to the Department in June 2024 regarding long-term, permanent staffing needs for the service to cater to current and future demand. The Department conveyed sanction in September for 70 additional driver testing posts on a permanent basis, bringing the permanent sanction to 200 driver testers. This is double the sanctioned permanent headcount in June 2022, which was 100 testers.
As a condition of sanction for these additional resources, my officials have requested that a plan is put in place to restore waiting times to the service level agreement of 10 weeks as soon as possible.
The Deputy may wish to note that a change was made to the test online booking system in October 2023 to allow any unused slots to be made available for candidates to take up at short notice. If a driving test is cancelled at short notice, the RSA now make this appointment available on the MyRoadSafety (www.rsa.ie/online-services/myroadsafety) portal.
