Sinn Féin TD for Louth and East Meath and member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Imelda Munster, has said that the Road Safety Authority’s admission at the PAC today that the Department for Transport won’t allow driving testers on temporary contracts to renew their contracts, in most cases is, “ridiculous”.

Deputy Munster was questioning the RSA at a meeting of the PAC today.

She raised the current situation where there are over 30 temporary driving testers who cannot renew their contracts as the original departmental sanction for the recruitment of new testers didn’t allow for it.

Teachta Munster said:

“There are waiting lists for driving tests all around the country. Yet we have a situation where the department has sanctioned the recruitment of temporary testers, and this sanction does not allow for them to renew their contracts and become permanent after probation if positions are available, as had been the case before this change in 2020.

“This is a ridiculous situation, and very troubling for the driving testers involved.

“We were told today at the committee that there are currently 80,000 people on the waiting list for a driving test.

“Having to recruit new testers regularly is a huge waste of taxpayers money. The interview process for driving testers is lengthy and expensive. The work is outsourced to private companies at significant expense.

“These testers have been working in these jobs for over three years. They have gained experience and have proven their ability to carry out their work. The constant rotation of less experienced testers being recruited is not a good way to do business.

“At today’s meeting the RSA said that they want these drivers to have the option to become permanent employees and have submitted a business case to the department.

“We need the Minister and his department to prioritise this process and fix this anomaly which is completely nonsensical and is causing difficulties for workers and for the public purse.”