Gardaí still writing penalty points into ledgers

GARDA clerical officers are still handwriting penalty points details into “Dickensian” ledgers despite official garda statements on Monday that they were now typing them into computers.

And problems with the computer system at the driving test headquarters in Ballina, has led to a backlog of 130,000 driving test applications, Transport Minister Seamus Brennan said yesterday.

The average wait for a driving test is now 23 weeks but Mr Brennan said he was planning a range of measures to deal with the situation, including recruiting retired testers.