The Government has denied having any “direct role” in the current industrial dispute among driver testers.
Responding to a parliamentary question from a Fianna Fáil TD this week, Transport Minister Sean Canney said the dispute was “a matter for the RSA as the employer.”
“Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the operation and delivery of the Driver Testing Service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority (RSA),” the Minister said.
“The current industrial dispute involving driver testers is therefore a matter for the RSA as the employer, with neither I nor my Department having a direct role.”
The dispute involves members of the Fórsa trade union, who voted by a 95% majority to support industrial action in a row over vehicle insurance verification.
Canney said that he encouraged the parties to find a resolution that avoids a strike.
“I welcome the commitment of both parties to enter talks before the Workplace Relations Commission on January 20th,” the Minister continued.
“I encourage the parties to comes to a resolution that avoids strike action, which would have severe negative impacts on customers.”
Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy had questioned the Department on what actions it would take to deal with growing waiting times for those unable to renew learner permits.
Longford-Westmeath TD Robert Troy asked if the Minister could commit to renewing learner permits for those currently awaiting a test or re-test.
Canney praised the work of testers in reducing wait times from 27 weeks last April to 10.6 weeks by the end of 2025.
“This progress and the additional testing capacity now in the system allowed me to sign regulations last November to end the practice of learner drivers continually renewing a learner permit without ever sitting a test,” Canney said.
“These regulations have a 12-month lead in time before coming into effect on 1 November this year, and I believe this is more than adequate for those on a third or subsequent learner permit to make the necessary preparations to sit a test.”
As reported by Gript earlier this year, the dispute centeres on concerns that testers are being exposed to legal and financial risks when conducting exams in private vehicles.
Fórsa has claimed that there is no real-time verification system to ensure a car is insured before a test begins.
“The ballot result demonstrates that members want this issue resolved once and for all,” Fórsa spokesman Ruairí Creaney previously told RTÉ News.
“Driver testers cannot be expected to get into vehicles to do their jobs when they have no clarity on whether the vehicle is uninsured.”
The union is seeking direct access to the National Insurance Database to verify the status of vehicles.
Management at the RSA previously issued a memo in December stating that testers are not automatically covered by the State Claims Agency if a test occurs in an uninsured vehicle.
By December 2026, the national backlog saw wait times at 35 of the 57 centers exceed the official 10-week target.
In Mulhuddart, West Dublin, applicants faced a 22-week wait just to receive an invitation to book a test.