There was much relief when in-person driver theory testing recommenced on 8 June. However, it now appears that, for many, this was a false dawn. Many young people across County Tipperary have contacted my office in frustration and anger due to unacceptable delays. Applicants who applied in February will not be offered an appointment until October. In one particular case, a young woman from Tipperary who needs to complete her test was given no fewer than seven different dates, ranging from April 2020 to July of this year. All seven appointments were cancelled and she has now been given an appointment for 23 December, which is one year and eight months after her first appointment. This is not tolerable for young motorists. Young people are missing opportunities for apprenticeships, work experience, education and agricultural work. What plans does the Government have to urgently address these delays?

As the Covid-19 restrictions are gradually eased, there have been changes to the status of driver testing services. A gradual reopening of in-person driver theory test centres commenced on 8 June. Essential driver training for essential workers who have not completed their training recommended on 10 May. Driving tests for essential workers are being prioritised. There will be a gradual reopening of driver testing for non-essential workers, which has commenced already. Forty new temporary driving testers have been hired and should begin work at the end of June. Sanction has been granted to recruit a further 40 testers. I absolutely acknowledge that there is a backlog, which is very frustrating for people who need to get on the road and need the freedom that brings, such as being able to get to work or college and do all the things they need to do. We are working to try to get through that backlog over the next couple of months.

The Tánaiste has said the economy is going to take off like a rocket. What he said about the theory test shows that the situation is a shambles. Apprenticeship schemes are also unable to function. You need two things for an apprenticeship, namely, a good employer who will give people the opportunity and colleges to provide the courses. People cannot get into the colleges because they are not functioning. I had a young man on to me this morning who, even though he is in an apprenticeship scheme for six months, has to wait until February 2022 to get his college place. That mean he cannot move on and his employer will have issues as well. It also means he cannot get a mortgage because of his rate of pay and everything else. He cannot make progress. Apprenticeships are vital to this economy. The situation was bad enough before Covid and it is ten times worse now. This delay is unacceptable because employers will not be anxious to take on apprentices, and one cannot blame them, when they cannot get them into training and there is no structure around it. We need to deal with the apprenticeship schemes. As I said, the system was bad even before Covid. We need to deal with the colleges that are not taking in apprentices. They must play their part.

I thank the Deputy. As he knows, we have a very ambitious plan in regard to apprenticeships, which involves getting up to 10,000 apprentices a year by 2025. It is being led by the Minister, Deputy Harris. We are now providing incentives and grant aid to employers to take on apprentices and that is showing some positive effects. In the context of the particular case the Deputy raised, if he want to pass on the details to me or the Minister, we will see if there is anything we can do to help.