Cost of driving tests to rise, says Dempsey

THE COST of a driving test and a driver theory test is to rise early in the new year, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said.

An application to increase the fees, from €75 to €85 for a driving test and €35.60 to €40.60 for the theory exam, has been made by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to the Minister.

It will be the second increase in the cost of a driving test in less than two years.

The rise is being sought to offset a cut of €5.5 million in the RSA’s funding that was announced in the Budget.

While Mr Dempsey is due to approve the fee increase, he has also asked the RSA to consider increasing fees for other services it provides, such as commercial vehicle licence testing and the NCT.

“The fee increase will have to cover the €5.5 million shortfall in [RSA] funding. I have sent a query asking why they are not considering some of the other areas for a fee increase to spread it more evenly.”

The Minister said the increases were part of a policy – outlined in the Government’s four-year plan – to reduce the reliance of State agencies on exchequer funding.

“In the longer term we want a lot of these agencies to become self-funding. We increased the price of the driving test last year, and that almost made the RSA self-sufficient in that area.”

In April 2009 the cost of a driving test rose from €38 to €75 for cars and to €110 for larger commercial vehicles.

The Minister also said a new credit card-style driving licence containing a chip holding detailed information about the motorist will be introduced next year.

The new licences will initially be distributed to those receiving their first licence or renewing, before being gradually introduced for all drivers. There would be no additional cost for the new licence.

He said the new licences would have additional security measures to make counterfeiting more difficult.

The cards will hold a photo; the driver’s name, address, and date of birth; class of licence; and details of the issuing authority. It will also carry a record of any penalty points and disqualifications.

Mr Dempsey said he was unlikely to make any decision on the introduction of additional tolls on the nation’s motorways. He recently received a detailed report from the National Roads Authority (NRA) on where additional tolls could be placed.

“The report says further work would need to be done before we make a decision on tolling. We might ask the NRA to do this but I don’t think there will be a decision on new tolls between now and the election.”

The Minister said the Cabinet approved a new Road Traffic Bill at its pre-Christmas meeting that will provide for the mandatory testing of all drivers involved in a collision in which someone was injured.

The Minister said he hoped to have the legislation published as soon as possible.