Mr. Brendan Walsh:

I am acutely aware of this situation and I can see it reflected in one of the new data points we have brought in. I can see that applications from 17-to-20-year-olds are at the highest volume in what looks like six years. The data do not go back further than that, but these applications are at a significant level. I sympathise 100% with anybody having to wait for a driving test, but the reality is that I am bound to ensure that the service is offered fairly. To that end, the only mechanism we have allowed for is where somebody is within the emergency services' structure, which would mean we would allow the person concerned effectively to be brought further up the queue.

I get many different communications and everybody tells me they need to have a driving test done, have a priority and a reason in this regard, but I cannot prioritise. If I did that, then I would be doing the State a disservice. I will, however, give a 100% commitment to the Senator. We are bringing in more people to deliver these tests and my existing team members have already worked significantly above and beyond this year. I think they have delivered an extra 9% of tests above the forecast level because they are working overtime. I have even had to have some discussions with people because they may actually go over the allowable hours they can work in any calendar year. My team members are giving everything they can to get this waiting list reduced. We will get this list down, but it is going to take time. I can tell the Senator here and now, though, that I will never allow this situation to happen again.

Turning to the topic of funding, what I was referring to from that perspective was a situation where we had received sanction from the Department of Transport for 75 permanent testers. In that case, if the trend we are seeing now, and that has been there, albeit for six quarters, went down all of a sudden, it would mean we would have a substantial number of staff for whom there would be no work. I do not think that is the right thing to do. I believe the approach we have taken is the correct one in bringing in a temporary cohort of new staff. During the time we have these people available we will then redesign the process and re-examine the permanent number of additional staff needed to allow us to prevent this from ever happening again.