Cullen seeks outsourced driving tests by July

A compromise plan to allow a private company carry out 40,000 driving tests has been accepted by Minister for Transport Martin Cullen.

At the publication of the Road Traffic Bill in Dublin today, the Minister said he hoped that the unions representing driver testing staff would accept the proposals and that he would be in a position to sign a contract by July 1st.

The Department of Transport has identified the company that carries out the National Car Test, a subsidiary of SGS Ltd, for the privatised testing contract.

Mr Cullen said the proposal included measures to address concerns of the unions and stipulated that it was only for "a defined number of tests". There is a provision for the number of tests to be increased by 5,000 if required by the Department.

Unions have opposed outsourcing, and both sides have met with Labour Relations Commission chief executive Kieran Mulvey to try and reach an agreement.

More than 140,000 provisional drivers are waiting for a driving test, and many are forced to wait for up to 12 months. Mr Cullen described the backlog as unacceptable

The Minister said this morning that he hoped to see a significant improvement in the waiting list by early next year.

He added he wanted to have the new Bill "enacted before the summer recess so the gardaí can immediately begin to enforce the new measures".

The Bill provides for mandatory alcohol testing, the banning of driving while holding a hand-held mobile phone and hundreds more speed cameras. It also provides for increases on the period of disqualification for drink driving offences and more severe fines for drink driving.

"My message to the public is very simple, if you misbehave, strong law and strong enforcement will be the answer, if you drive within the rules of the road you have nothing to fear and in fact we hope the roads will be safer for everybody," the Minister said.

Mr Cullen added that a draft of the new Rules of the Road was now available on the Department's website. Comments from the public and interest groups will be accepted for the next month.