Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentation. I am pleased that extensions have been given because I was finding in the constituency office an inordinate number of elderly people who did not have access online and were unable to do a walk-in service in the offices of the authority, which is regrettable. My office was open with all of the Covid prevention measures in place and we found ourselves having to do the online work for them. I fail to see why such work could not have been done in the RSA offices. However, we were happy to do it and, thankfully, it worked out in many cases.

The real issue is young people who, as the Chairman has said, are waiting to get their tests. In addition to the other considerable burdens on young people as a result of Covid, the delay is causing enormous stress. The witnesses have indicated that the RSA has sought to get 40 additional staff. Will they be recruited as full-time staff for the RSA?