At the moment there are 47,000 L-plate drivers awaiting a driver test and there is a huge delay, as we all know, at the Road Safety Authority, RSA. The wait is 19 weeks on average nationally, but in County Clare there is a 35-week waiting period. That is all the more punitive for younger drivers in rural areas. Because of the cost of living away from home and the lack of accommodation, many of them live at home and drive a car their mam and dad bought them to get to college. This is totally punitive. One of the requirements for these 47,000 drivers is that they have an accompanying driver. I ask that the Government look at waiving that rule temporarily for the next few months, until we catch up and close in on that gap. Also, given the national car test, NCT, delays, it is important for somebody to clarify for the people of this country whether they are properly insured if they do not have a valid NCT. If your test is delayed by three or four months, why does the rollover period for your next test not account for those three or four months such that the next test catches up six or seven months later again? It is wrong and it is punitive.

I agree that people should be able to get their driving tests in a timely manner. People in rural areas in particular need their cars to get to work, get to college and go about their business. This is a really big problem. I would be reluctant to make any commitment on waiving the requirement to have an accompanying driver. That is a road safety issue, and I would be reluctant to make any changes there, but we are investing in the service and hiring more driver testers. Like the work permit delays and the passport delays we faced six months ago, we will get on top of this.