A Government minister has insisted driving test waiting times will not exceed ten weeks by this autumn, amid Opposition criticism some people are waiting up to 43 weeks to undergo the tests.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport and Independent TD Seán Canney gave the new commitment in the Dáil, saying the current situation is unacceptable and must be addressed.
However, he faced a backlash from TDs who claimed it is easier to become an astronaut than to get a test time in some areas, that some people are travelling to other countries to undergo tests sooner alongside calls for fees to be refunded, if waiting times exceed planned new targets.
Speaking during a Dáil debate on the issue, Minister Canney said the average waiting time for driving tests is now 27 weeks.
A figure, he said, has risen significantly in part due to a "backlog of tests" during the Covid-19 pandemic, inward migration and a rising population.
Minister Canney said the Road Safety Authority has now told him that it plans to reduce waiting times to 10 weeks by September, and that in order to reach this target he will seek a regular update every two weeks over the coming months.
The minister said he "knew there was a problem" when he took up his role and two weeks ago met the RSA to discuss the problems and try to find a solution.
He said he rejected its plan as "untenable" because people would still be waiting too long for a driving test and when he met the CEO of the RSA again today, he presented a new plan.
"The plan will show that testers are being trained and coming on stream to increase the numbers testing.
"We will see further increases in the number of testers over the next couple of months and by September we will have the number of weeks waiting time should be back to the service level agreement of ten weeks," he said.
He also said the RSA has been sanctioned to recruit up to 200 more driving test examiners, a figure he said is double that of two years ago, and gave assurances this will take place "without compromising standards".
Mr Canney said there are also plans for driving tester overtime, bringing some retired testers back on a temporary basis to help ease waiting times, and testers who now work across public holiday weekends.
He said these measures were aimed at getting through the backlog, which he said is "unacceptable".
The minister said he instructed the RSA to publish its plan next week and to provide on a two-weekly basis a progress report on how they are performing in terms of the reduction in the numbers waiting for tests and the increase in testers.
However, his comments were criticised by Opposition TDs, who said similar promises have been made and broken by the Government over the past three years and that more than 83,000 people are currently waiting for driving tests.
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Government 'out of touch'
Sinn Féin's Louis O'Hara said it is "incredibly disappointing to see the situation has worsened since we raised it in February", claiming: "Government is out of touch with that reality."
Labour TD Ciarán Ahern said in his own constituency of Tallaght the waiting time for driving tests is up to 43 weeks.
A backlog, he said, is impacting people's lives, with party colleague Eoghan Kenny later giving an example of a man who cannot begin a job as a paramedic because of the delays.
After Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore warned the process is taking "a very long time", party colleague Pádraig Rice said "apparently it's easier to be an astronaut than to get a driving licence in Cork".
He called for extended test times during the day and potentially "overtime on Sundays", in addition to suggesting people should "get a refund if they are waiting longer" than the longest waiting times set out by the Department of Transport.
Fianna Fáil TD Shane Moynihan also added his voice to the concerns, saying while targets are important to outline, it is crucial they are now delivered on.
Deputy Moynihan said he has been told that due to the waiting time delays, some constituents are travelling to Georgia and other countries to take tests sooner there, asking: "Is this the best way?"
