Total driving tests in Derry 33% higher than five-year average, says Mallon

The minister was asked about the testing backlog in the city by the Foyle MLA Pádraig Delargy.

Mr. Delargy said: “A huge number of young people from my constituency cannot get to school or university or take on part-time jobs because they cannot get their test.

“I was therefore very pleased to hear that one innovative solution that was talked about was that additional testers would be put in place.

“I hope that, when that is done, there will be a guarantee that at least some of those testers will be deployed to Derry to make sure that the backlog, which seems to be more stark in my constituency than in others, is tackled.”

The minister replied: “We continue to recruit additional examiners. Since driving tests resumed, the DVA has conducted 4,320 driving tests from the Altnagelvin and New Buildings test centres in Derry. That number is over 33 per cent higher than the five-year average. Of course I recognise the frustrations faced by first-time drivers, but we continue to put additional capacity in place to try to alleviate frustration and minimise disruption.”