Ms Alison Coleman:

That is a good question. The recent competition for driving testers required a minimum level 5 qualification, which equates to a leaving certificate. We were finding that many guys and ladies, thankfully, were approved driving instructors, although the number was not huge. Bus drivers also came with fantastic qualifications. Others wanted to enter the public service more generally. They might have been waiting for a competition for a while. There were also testers who previously held contracts with us. Such people reapplied and were successful, thankfully. Those are the kinds of candidates we have had.

As HR director, I will say that we have a fantastic team in the RSA in Ballina and Loughrea, across our driver testing, enforcement services and call centre. Those comments apply to everyone. It has been a difficult few weeks for the RSA. We do not like to see tragedy on our roads, including fatalities and serious injuries. We are all working hard to realise our vision zero ambition. I take the opportunity to thank those staff.