Plan to outsource 40,000 driving tests

The Department of Transport has said that plans to ask the private sector to carry out 40,000 driving tests will be a temporary measure for a year or two to clear the current backlog.

A spokesman for Minister for Transport Martin Cullen said last night that the outsourcing plan formed part of a three-pronged initiative aimed at bringing waiting times for driving tests back to "weeks rather than months".

There is currently a backlog of over 124,000 applicants for a driving test and it can take as long as 62 weeks for an appointment.

At the weekend, the Government posted a notice on its official procurement website seeking tenders from private companies interested in carrying out 40,000 tests a year. The test would be carried out at 20 centres around the country.

Under the plan, the private sector operator would work alongside the existing State testers to clear the backlog.

Fine Gael and the trade union Impact have raised concerns about the privatisation plan.

Fine Gael transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell said that under draft Government legislation a proposed Driving Testing and Standards Authority was to be empowered to seek private sector involvement in carrying out tests.

However, she said that this legislation had not been passed by the Oireachtas and it was unclear whether the Department of Transport had the authority to carry out the outsourcing plan itself.