Barry Ward
Ceist:72. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport his views on the adequacy of the management of the driving test system by the RSA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17808/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 4 March 2026
Ceisteanna (72)
Freagraí scríofa
Since taking office, reducing driver test waiting times has been a key priority for me. in May 2025, I directed the RSA to produce and publish a service recovery plan to meet the 10-week average national waiting time target by September 2025, which the RSA achieved.
The latest information available to me from the RSA indicates that as of 21 February the average national waiting time for a driving test was 11.2 weeks. This marks a significant improvement on the 27-week average wait time in April 2025. The RSA is continuing to work towards ensuring that the target of a 10 week waiting period as outlined in its service level agreement is achieved.
In September 2024, my Department conveyed sanction for 70 additional driver testing posts on a permanent basis, bringing the permanent sanction to 200, which represents a doubling of permanent posts since June 2022. As of 21 February, 194 testers were in place, which marks a significant increase on the 151 available at the beginning of 2025. The RSA is working to reach its full complement of 200 testers this year subject to the next successful training and onboarding of new recruits.
The RSA has also indicated that overtime and bank holiday testing will continue in 2026. This will also allow the RSA to mitigate the impact on testing during winter, early spring months as a result of shorter days and inclement weather. I would also highlight that, to manage demand effectively at national level, testers, although formally assigned to specific centres, are routinely deployed to other locations as required.
In addition a new test centre opened in Mitchelstown in December and I am informed that new test centres in Drogheda and Sandyford are expected to be operational shortly. This should assist in reducing average wait times in those areas.