Tipperary TDs condemn driving test wait times as ‘excessive’ and ‘deeply frustrating'

Last week, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Seán Canney, welcomed TDs to the Oireachtas Chambers to discuss driving test wait times. This is an issue faced by many young drivers in Tipperary and so was understandably an area that several local TDs made sure to have their say on.

Deputy Ryan O’Meara was the first Tipperary representative to speak on the matter:

“I have a deep sense of frustration with the testing system in the country, particularly in Nenagh.

“Nenagh has one of the lowest pass rates, if not the lowest, in the country. It is well below 40% while the national average appears to be somewhere just about 50% at the moment. Waiting times are excessive and are increasing. It is deeply frustrating for young people in a rural area like the constituency I represent or the constituency the Minister of State represents to put their names forward only to be told to sit back for a few months awaiting an invitation to apply.

“When they get the invitation to get their date, they have to wait a number of months more. People aged 17, 18 or 19 in a rural area want that bit of independence. They may have a summer job or a part-time job but cannot get to that because they cannot get their test in time. They are doing everything right, doing their lessons and meeting all of the requirements but then they are sitting and waiting.

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“I also have an issue with tests that do not go ahead for one reason or another, such as a problem with the tax disc or a problem with the lights. I accept that the car needs to be roadworthy and safe, which is fair enough. However, what happens to that slot when we have such a backlog in Nenagh? It does not get filled. The driver tester has to go back in and wait for the next person to come. Cancellation slots and priority slots are very difficult to get, and it is really frustrating for young people waiting for that.

“Another example relates to apprentices. A number of people of a younger age are mad to start an apprenticeship. We need them to start their apprenticeships and yet often it is being held up. It is hard to get priority from the RSA to get their test dates moved forward or get them into a cancellation slot.

“We need more testers and we need them rapidly. We need to investigate why some centres like Nenagh have such an appalling fail rate compared with others. I hope those concerns will be taken on board today and can be brought back to Government.”

Deputy Michael Murphy commented on the issue in Clonmel and Tipperary Town saying: “The RSA’s target of a ten-week average waiting time is not being met. One year ago, it was 15 weeks. In January, it had risen to 21 weeks, and by last month, it was more than 24 weeks. In my home town of Clonmel, the waiting time is 28 weeks. In Tipperary Town, it is also 28 weeks. I have heard colleagues in the Chamber say it is as high as 48 weeks in some test centres. It is simply not good enough.

“As Chair of the Oireachtas committee on transport, I can confirm that, in consultation with my fellow members, consideration is being given to inviting the RSA as our first witness. I will be consulting all committee members on this. Our first meeting is scheduled for next week to agree a work programme.

“These waiting times are bad for those frustrated by delays and detrimental to the overarching goal of this Government, this Chamber and this society to reduce road deaths and create safer roads for everybody.

“I also hope in the near future we will legislate as a Chamber for the issue of learner permits. I suspect demand will subsequently grow as well.

“We need to be more ambitious. Ten weeks’ waiting time is too long. When an individual has completed the 12 compulsory lessons, he or she should be able to sit a test within four weeks. I call for a review of the service level agreement with the RSA.”

Deputy Seamus Healy said: “South Tipperary needs two additional driver testing centres, one at Carrick-on-Suir and one at Cashel. South Tipperary is particularly badly affected by the huge current backlog. The centres at Clonmel and Tipperary Town have delays of 28 weeks, or seven months, which is simply not good enough. We have very poor public transport and there is no adequate transport serving major employers, schools and colleges in the area, like Abbott Ireland Vascular Division, Boston Scientific, Questum, Tipperary County Council, Tipperary University Hospital, Tipperary Further Education and Training College and the Technical University of the Shannon. We need at least two new centres to deal with the current situation in south Tipperary.”