I raise the issue of the walk-in facility that was provided by National Driver Licence Service, NDLS, for people getting their driving licence. Before the pandemic, a walk-in service was operating in parallel with the appointments system for many years. Understandably, there was a change during the pandemic. However, despite the reopening of much of society, I understand the walk-in option is not available for people who want to get a driving licence. Anyone getting a driving licence must book an appointment online only. That is presenting a real difficulty for those who are not comfortable or managing online but want to maintain their independence, those who do not have broadband, and those who just want to deal with a person. It is also an issue for newly qualified drivers who, after passing the test, want to get to the NDLS office and get their application started right away. Can the walk-in service be reopened to give people the widest opportunity possible to get their driving licence?

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He tends to be very alert to these issues on the ground, as I know from previous questions he has asked. At the moment, across the NDLS front office network, there are approximately 76,220 appointment slots in total across a six-week period. Of these, 43,715 are booked, with the remaining slots available. Nearly 30,000 slots are available to be booked. A person who is late for an appointment can always be accommodated and so on. The Deputy is right about Covid restrictions. The walk-in service was suspended. In 2021, a replacement NDLS front office service was procured, and then it was decided by the Road Safety Authority to provide the service on the basis of appointments only. It believes that an appointment-only service manages queues, gives certainty to customers and prevents overcrowding and long waits. The growth of the NDLS online service now accounts for 40% of its customers. I will relay the Deputy's concerns.