Louth Labour TD Ged Nash has slammed the government and the RSA for “years of failure” in delivering a new driving test centre for Drogheda.
In March of last year, Deputy Nash along with other political representatives in the town, were informed by the RSA that a temporary replacement for Drogheda’s Driving Test Centre at Marian Park, which had been operation for two years, would close.
Since then, Deputy Nash has raised the issue in the Dáil repeatedly and has called for the RSA to find a new location in the town for a relocated test centre.
He said: “Prior to the RSA’s decision to close the temporary driving test centre I had been working for a solid year, engaging with the RSA, driving instructors and locals on identifying alternative arrangements for the centre.
“I had received a written commitment from the RSA, months before the closure, that a greenfield site had been identified, only for cold water to be poured on that at a meeting in early February, of last year.”
Following the announcement that the centre in Marian Park would close, Deputy Nash said he engaged with the RSA “on an almost daily basis but RSA was less than forthcoming in their communication with me”.
He said: “The decision has left us for the last 18 months plus, in the worst of all possible worlds and leaves local people waiting on driving tests in the lurch, forced to join the queue for tests in Dundalk or Navan.
Deputy Nash said: “Should I be fortunate enough to be elected as Louth’s representative in the next Dáil and play a part in the formation of the next government, I will do everything in my power to ensure that a driving test centre returns to Drogheda.
“Over the last 18 months, driving test delays and the lack of a local test centre has been raised again and again by local people through my constituency office and we need an experienced local voice in government, to resolve this issue, once and for all.”
