No plans to hire any more driving testers despite 22-week backlog

THERE will only be one tester based at the Skibbereen driving test centre, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has confirmed, despite long delays. 

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns described the situation as ‘ridiculous’. She added: ‘Disgracefully, there is no indication that the government are going to address the issue.’

She said she had previously called for an additional full-time driving tester to be employed in Skibbereen, and the RSA have now informed that there will only be one tester in that centre. 

The Cork South West TD said people have to ‘wait months to even get an appointment’ for a driving test.

‘Recent figures show that there is a 22-week wait for tests. This means that if you applied for a test today, you would not sit it until at least late August.

‘In many cases, it is young people who are applying, because they need to be able to drive for work or college. In rural Ireland, the reality is that there is no other option as the public transport system is insufficient to provide a reliable service that people can count on.

‘Driving test delays are impacting people’s ability to secure employment. Where is the government’s concern for rural jobs, which are central to helping people stay in their communities?’ she asked. 

Junior Transport Minister Jack Chambers has revealed that, nationally, an additional 30 testers have been recruited, but Skibbereen will not see any increase. 

‘In response to a parliamentary question, I was informed by the RSA that there are currently no open vacancies and all permanent sanctioned posts have been filled. In essence, this means there is no plan to address the backlog in Skibbereen. Unless an additional tester is employed, there is no way that the massive waiting list for this centre can be reduced. The government and the Minister for Transport are fully aware of this issue, but they are simply refusing to act,’ said Deputy Cairns. 

Meanwhile, FF TD Christopher O’Sullivan said confirmation that St Finbarr’s testing centre in the city has been closed will put enormous pressure on Cork’s already-strained driving test regime.

He has asked Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to ease pressure on younger drivers by making tests more available.

‘Young people have had an incredibly tough time over the last couple of years. Covid has deprived them of so much. It’s impacted their education and their mental health,’ he said.

‘The least we can do at this point is provide them with timely access to driving tests. The problem is particularly acute in Cork, where Skibbereen has seen a reduction from two testers to just one.’

The Taoiseach said the extended waiting times were ‘a bounce back from the pandemic’ and that the government expects to get the matter under control.