Driver test waiting times
Senator Daly raises long waits for driving tests, especially affecting young people needing licences for work or college, and asks for the Minister to address the delays.
I support the Order of Business.
My contribution relates to the issue of the waiting times for the driver's test. I was informed by one of my party's councillors today in County Kilkenny that two constituents received a driver's test notification for next year and that is the earliest date that they could secure. Can the Minister for Transport be invited to this House to outline what can be done to ensure people can get driving tests? Drivers, especially young people, need a full licence to travel to work, but also to go to college in some cases because they cannot afford the rent in Dublin and, therefore, have to commute and car-pool. In that regard, we need a full debate with the Minister regarding the issue of the driver test times and what he will do to make sure that people are not waiting until next year to have their test.