Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
292. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Transport the current average waiting time for a driving test at the Naas test centre; the steps being taken to reduce delays for applicants in Kildare North; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14174/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra293. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider establishing an additional driving test centre in Kildare North, in light of ongoing demand and waiting times at existing centres serving the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14175/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 292 and 293 together.
Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has statutory responsibility for the National Driver Testing Service, this includes testing and scheduling matters as well as the provision of test centres. Neither I nor my officials are involved in the service at an operational level. 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, the latest information provided to me by the RSA indicates that, as of 7 February 2026, the average waiting time for a driving test in Naas was 7 weeks. This marks a significant improvement on the 30-week average wait time in April 2025, and is below the national average service level agreement target of 10 weeks.
The Deputy may wish to note that the RSA publish detailed monthly information on the driver testing service on the CSO website, including the breakdown of waiting times and distribution of testing capacity by test centre. This information is available at the following link: data.cso.ie/product/RSADTS
