No reduction in waiting times for driving tests

Efforts to reduce waiting times for driving tests have failed in recent years with applicants now waiting an average of 29.9 weeks - compared to 29.7 weeks nine years ago.

This is despite extra resources and additional staff being drafted into the driving test service, a value-for-money report has said.

However, the report concluded that recent outsourcing of tests should "see a significant reduction in waiting times by the middle of 2007".

The report by Comptroller and Auditor General John Purcell covers the years from 1998 to 2006 and noted that driving test waiting times did fall to 10 weeks in 2002. However, it said that National Roads Authority attempts to predict the number of tests which would be required over the following years "were of limited use".

The report also noted that that targets for driving tester productivity and financing of the system were not achieved. Responsibility for the testing system passed through three separate Government agencies, the departments of environment and transport and the Road Safety Authority, during the period.

In an analysis of success rates by driving centre, Mr Purcell found there was either a regional difference in the standard of driving in Ireland, or there was a difference in the standard of the driving test, as administered by different driving test centres.

The report noted that on average about half of all applicants across the State failed their driving test. Co Carlow had the lowest success rate at 42 per cent in 2006, followed by Kilkenny and Clonmel at 44 per cent.

Buncrana in Co Donegal had the highest success rate at 65 per cent, followed by Ennis in Co Clare at 64 per cent. The average for all centres in 2006 was 52 per cent, down from 57 per cent in 1998.

Figures for waiting times for tests indicated that Nenagh in Co Tipperary had the longest waiting list in 2006 at 48 weeks, up from 21 weeks in 1998. The testing centre with the shortest waiting period was Cavan at just 11 weeks, down from 30 weeks in 1998.

Mr Purcell said that following an increase in applications during 1998 and 1999 "considerable additional resources" were put into the driving test service and the target time of 10 weeks was achieved in March 2002. However, applications increased again in the following years and waiting times rose to an average of 43.3 weeks in 2003. While the figure of 29.9 weeks for 2006 represents an improvement on 2003, the overall performance since 1998 showed no improvement.

While there was a productivity target of 1,847 standard tests per tester, the report noted that it was apparent by 1999 "that this would not be reached and actual productivity would be well short. It was noted that one in 10 tests were being conducted using overtime". Normally eight standard 50-minute tests are carried out per tester per day, but by 2005 this had fallen to 5.4.

To deal with the backlog the Government-appointed additional permanent and contract driving testers, including staff deployed from the Department of Agriculture, and retired testers were also brought back into service. The Government also outsourced 45,000 tests after agreement with the trade union Impact. These tests will be delivered in an 18-month period from mid-2006.