Driving test waiting lists
Deputy Crowe raised persistent backlogs in driving tests and the cancellation of a proposed Sandyford centre that could have eased pressure. The Tánaiste said waiting times were falling overall, would speak to the Minister of State, and would come back to him.
There is a commitment in the programme for Government to enhance driver training but this has not been of much comfort to learner drivers who cannot get an appointment for a test. Numbers on the waiting lists for driving tests continue to climb and waiting times grow longer. Several weeks ago, the Road Safety Authority, RSA, pulled the plug on a proposed new driving centre in Sandyford, despite the Minister saying it was mere weeks away from opening. This would have relieved the enormous backlog affecting in Tallaght and Dún Laoghaire tests centres, which are permanently at the top when it comes to the waiting lists.
There are 17,000 on the waiting list for the centre in Tallaght. That represents 10% of the State's total number in a network of 60 test centres. I have raised this on a number of occasions, including with different Governments. Could the Tánaiste give the people who rely on the Tallaght and Dún Laoghaire test centres assurances that a new test centre will be opened in south Dublin in 2026? This is something that needs to be tackled. At this stage I have raised it with a number of Governments.
Comment on this
I thank Deputy Crowe. I can hear his frustration. From memory, I think the waiting time for driving tests is falling, albeit from a very high place. I take the point that there can be geographic differences in relation to that too. I am not sure of the situation in relation to the Sandyford test centre but on foot of the Deputy raising it, I will speak to the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, who has responsibility for the RSA and road safety to see what can be done. More broadly, we are having a conversation about the role of the RSA. I will come back to the Deputy directly and see what can be done for the people in Tallaght and Dún Laoghaire on those wait times.