Driver Test
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-17
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Mike Kennelly (FG), Labour Panel

I was unaware of that to be honest. I must get a copy of The Irish Times . I welcome the Minister of State to the Seanad. I wish to raise with him the urgent need for the provision of an additional Road Safety Authority driving test centre in north Kerry to serve communities such as Listowel, Ballybunnion, Tarbert, Moyvane, Ballyduff and surrounding areas. It is a huge area.
At present, County Kerry is served by just two main test centres for standard driving tests in Tralee and Killarney. This is despite the fact that very significant demand exists across the region. Figures provided by the RSA show that in 2025 alone, 3,736 tests were conducted in Tralee and 3,933 in Killarney, with a further 1,346 tests in Tralee and 1,477 in Killarney in the first four months of 2026. These figures clearly demonstrate the volume of demand already being handled by these limited centres. However, even more concerning are the waiting lists. In Tralee, the number of applicants waiting for a driving test invitation has consistently remained too high altogether, fluctuating between 900 and more than 1,000 people through 2025, reaching 1,009 in April of this year.
Similarly, in Killarney, hundreds remain waiting at any given time, with 714 applicants still awaiting as of April 2026. This means that across Kerry alone, more than 1,500 people are typically waiting for a test invitation at any one time. That does not account for those who must reapply after unsuccessful attempts. The data on passes and failures further underline the pressure on the system. In 2025 there were 1,876 passes and 1,481 failures in Tralee. In Killarney there were 1,899 passes and 1,684 failures.
They are back in the system again, and maybe for the third time.
This shows that a substantial number of applicants do not pass on their first or second attempt, and must re-enter the system, often facing the same long waiting periods again for a second or even third test. The result is a compounding backlog, which is why my Commencement matter is of the highest importance.
For people in north Kerry, the impact is particularly severe. Residents of north Kerry must travel considerable distances - it is wide open territory - most often to Tralee, and in some cases Killarney, for both lessons and tests. This places an added financial and logistical burden on learner drivers and their families, especially in a rural area with limited public transport options.
The Listowel municipal district alone has a population of approximately 32,000 people, representing a substantial demand base that is not being directly served by a local test centre. Given the scale of demand, the consistently high waiting times and the additional pressures created by repeat tests, there is a strong and evidence-based case for the RSA to reassess north Kerry. Has a detailed demand and capacity assessment been undertaken specifically for north Kerry, including the Listowel municipal district area? If not, can we initiate one as soon as possible? Will consideration be given to establishing a driving test centre in Listowel or providing a part-time or outreach service in the area? Can immediate measures be introduced to reduce waiting times, especially acknowledging the cycle of repeat tests, which is further adding to backlogs?
The current situation in Kerry is not sustainable. It is placing an unfair burden on rural communities and delaying access to employment, education and independence for many people. It is time that north Kerry was properly recognised in the planning of driving test services. The biggest issue we have right now is road safety. People learning how to manoeuvre properly and safely on our roads should do so on their local roads. People travelling 50 or 60 minutes in a car to do a test on a side street in another jurisdiction is just not working, and that is why I am calling for a driving test centre to be located in north Kerry.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:04+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-17