Mr. Darragh Dunne:

I was giving essential driver training, EDT, lessons to a trainee paramedic and, frankly, it was heart-breaking to have to stop giving lessons to someone who will, hopefully, be doing a job that I admire so much. They have to progress through the process of getting their category B licence before they can go on to get a category C licence in order to drive emergency vehicles. That is why we would hope an allowance is made for essential workers to finish their EDT lessons. It is a fair suggestion that they also perhaps be given some streamlining process to complete their theory test and their learner permit application, and then get into the system for getting through the lessons.

As to who decides who is an essential worker, unfortunately, I think that is a job for the Government as a whole and it is far beyond my level of knowledge and expertise to make that decision.