Independent TD for Tipperary, Mattie McGrath, has raised serious concerns about the worsening delays in driving test appointments across County Tipperary, particularly in Clonmel. 1,926 learner drivers in the county are currently waiting for a test—amid a national backlog of over 81,000 people.
Deputy McGrath highlights that Clonmel has a waiting time of 28 weeks well in excess of a government target of 10 weeks maximum waiting times. The waiting time for a driving test in Tipperary town is 26 weeks, 23 weeks for Nenagh and 21 weeks for Thurles.
“The delays are having real consequences—young people can’t access jobs or apprenticeships, and families in rural communities are being left without transport options” according to the TD. Similar delays are reported across the country.
The Minister responsible for the Road Safety Authority(RSA), Séan Canney, met with the RSA leadership yesterday about the need to reduce the current waiting times for driving tests. The Government had sanctioned an additional 70 permanent positions for driver testers in September 2024 which would increase the total permanent sanction for testers to 200 – a doubling of permanent posts since June 2022. The sanction was given on condition that the RSA provide an Action Plan to reduce waiting times. The RSA proposed reaching the 10 week waiting time by November 2025 which the Department rejected as being unacceptable and has instructed the RSA to bring forward an improved plan in two weeks’ time.
