Sharon Keogan slams 27-week driving test delays as 'planning failure'
Sharon Keogan criticised prolonged driving test waiting times in the Dáil, saying the average wait stood at 27 weeks in April 2025 and calling it a failure of government planning and oversight. She warned the backlog — more than 83,000 awaiting tests and a further 50,000 stuck in lesson/test eligibility — leaves over 130,000 people affected and is a barrier to employment and education.
Key figures
Keogan cited official figures that the average waiting time for a driving test in Ireland was 27 weeks as of April 2025, more than double the RSA target of 10 weeks. She named Tala, Dundalk and Navan as areas seeing waits of up to 43 weeks and put the total affected at over 130,000 people.
Local and personal impact
She said the delays hit young people, parents and jobseekers directly - preventing people from taking work in rural areas, stopping parents driving children to school and forcing some to turn down job offers or quit college because they cannot get a full licence in time. She noted that in counties like Mead public transport is not a viable option.
Government response criticised
Keogan rejected government promises as insufficient, noting repeated missed RSA deadlines and unfulfilled commitments such as hiring 75 testers and reducing wait times by September. She argued there are no penalties for missed targets and called current responses "soft excuses and hard impacts for working people."
Recommendations and solutions
Her proposals included introducing financial penalties when waiting-time targets are missed, modelled on NCT contractor penalties; expanding the number of permanent driving testers rather than temporary hires; opening additional test centres in high-demand and rural areas; and exploring online systems for cancellations and rebookings to fill no-show slots faster.
Urgent appeal to act
Keogan framed the issue as more than an inconvenience, calling it a barrier to independence and opportunity, and urged the government to stop managing headlines and start managing the system. She said she would not accept a situation that signals to a generation that "their time, their plans and their lives simply don't matter."
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I rise today with frustration shared by tens of thousands of people across the country, people who have done everything right, paid their fees, booked their test and now are stuck waiting. Waiting not days or weeks but months, for some almost a year. Let's call it what it is, a failure of government planning, a failure of oversight and a failure to prioritise the needs of ordinary people. As of April 2025, the average waiting time for a driving test in Ireland stands at a staggering 27 weeks. That's more than doubles the RSA's own target of 10 weeks. And the situation is even worse in certain parts of the country. Tala, Dundalk and Navan are seeing waiting lists of up to 43 weeks. That's nearly 10 months. 10 months of limbo. At last count, more than 83,000 people will wait to sit their driving test while another 50,000 are stuck in the backlog of driving lessons and test eligibility. That's over 130,000 citizens affected. And these are not just statistics. These are young people, unable to take up work in rural areas, parents who can't drive their children to school and job seekers who are forced to turn down offers because they can't get a full licence in time. And what's the government's response? More promises. Promises of hiring 75 testers, promises of reducing wait times by September. Forgive me if I don't hold my breath. We've heard it all before. Time and time again, the RSA has missed its own deadlines. And yet, there's no penalty, no consequences, just soft excuses and hard impacts for working people. Let me be very clear. This isn't just an inconvenience. This is a barrier to employment, a barrier to education and a barrier to independence. In rural counties like Mead, where I come from, public transport isn't an option. It's a fantasy. You either drive or you're stranded. And that is the same for many parts of rural Ireland. By this stage, we have all heard stories of people who've had to quit college because they can't make the commute. We've heard stories of people who've had to put their lives on hold because they can't wait for the retest. This is not acceptable in a functioning society. So what do I propose? First, hold the RSA accountable. Introduce financial penalties when waiting times targets are missed, just like we do with the NCT contractors. Second, expand the number of permanent driving testers, not temporary contracts or Band-Aid solutions. Third, open additional test centres in high-demand areas, particularly in rural Ireland, where the need is greatest. And finally, explore online systems for cancellations and rebookings to speed up the process and allow motivated candidates to fill the no-show slots. If you continue to ignore this problem, we are telling an entire generation that their time, their plans and their lives simply don't matter. Well, I won't accept that. And I urge the government to stop managing headlines and start managing the system. The people of Ireland deserve pressure. Go raibh michael.
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