430 schedule for test as 876 people await test date in Cavan and Monaghan
Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan – Monaghan Niamh Smyth says the waiting times for the driving test in both counties are preventing some people from gaining employment.
Deputy Niamh Smyth says, “I have been contacted by numerous young people applying for their test on the basis of obtaining employment only to be told the waiting times are in excess of two months. This is simply not acceptable. At the moment in Cavan 517 people are waiting on their driving test to be scheduled. In Monaghan 359 people are waiting to have their rest scheduled.”
Deputy Smyth continued, “According to details provided to me following a Parliamentary Question I submitted to the Minister for Transport Shane Ross on this very issue there are 1097 applications in the system and at various stages in Cavan and 619 in Monaghan.”
Waiting times
“I have been told by the Road Safety Authority that from January to May 2017 the average waiting times for a driving test in Cavan was 11.6 weeks while in Monaghan it’s at 13.4 weeks. People are very frustrated at the long delays in receiving a date for their test. Some people who have contacted both my offices in County Cavan and Monaghan have employment lined up but cannot take up their job until they gain a driving licence. In some cases, they’ve told me they don’t think the employer can wait for them. This is simply not acceptable. I have called on the Minister to investigate this matter and to ensure that extra resources are provided to ease the waiting times and get people scheduled in a timely manner for their driving test,”
Note to Editors: Please find my Parliamentary Question attached on this issue. Deputy Niamh Smyth is available for comment on 042 -966 6666.
Please find my Parliamentary Question on this issue here.RSA PQ 17.7.2017