RSA bombarded with requests from politicians seeking driving tests for constituents
Figures provided under FOI show the RSA is getting nearly three emails every working day from politicians.
The Road Safety Authority is being bombarded with representations from TDs, senators, and councillors trying to fast-track or secure last-minute driving tests for constituents.
Figures provided under FOI show the RSA is getting nearly three emails every working day from politicians.
Independent TD Mattie McGrath has sent 90 representations since the beginning of last year — at least one per week.
The RSA said it received 1,237 direct communications from TDs and senators in the period from January 2021 to mid-September this year alone.
Of those, 51 came from Minister of State James Browne, 45 from Independent TD Thomas Pringle, 42 from Junior Minister Niall Collins, 36 from Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley, 31 from Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys, and 28 from Independent TD Michael Lowry.
Others who submitted at least 20 queries included Danny Healy-Rae, Michael Ring, and Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue.
Asked about the high level of representations he had sent, Mr McGrath said: “People come to us in desperation, waiting months for tests, cases where somebody has got a job, or has just come back into the country. The delays are shocking and longer and longer they are getting. Some centres don’t have enough testers, others have people out sick.
“It might make the Road Safety Authority a bit more accountable when we send a letter. That’s the hope.”
An anonymised sample of representations details the type of requests being made by politicians.
For Mattie McGrath, one inquiry related to a constituent who had previously failed their test but needed a retest as they required their car for work as they lived in a rural area.
In another, he asked for a test to be expedited for a constituent who had failed their truck test but was after buying a “new lorry for his business”.
Not all TDs are happy with how the RSA is doing its job. Wexford Independent TD Verona Murphy wrote in one email: “It is not my job to train your staff in regulatory compliance and having to point it out as they seem to make it up as they go along.
A spokesman for the Road Safety Authority said its policy for urgent driving tests is that if a customer is a critical frontline worker employed by the HSE, a private hospital, or the emergency services and needs to drive in the course of their duties they may submit a request using a special form on the RSA website.
“If that request is approved then the customer will be prioritised," it said.
"Where a customer has previously failed their car test and reapplied, these are fast-tracked and sent a new booking invitation six to eight weeks after their previous test.”
