Dr. Keith Walsh:

I am not sure we were taken by surprise. We knew the funding model was coming under strain and that was one of the reasons we commissioned the independent review of the RSA. We monitor the RSA's revenue and expenditure regularly with the authority and over the course of 2024 it became clear it was eating into its reserves. What was also happening was because of the deaths on the road the RSA was being asked to spend more on advertising and media campaigns. We knew there was increasing pressure on it and it was eating into its reserves. It became clear to us over the course of 2024 there was a risk if we did not do something by the end of 2024 it would potentially run out of money. That is why we decided to seek a Supplementary Estimate for the authority of €7.6 million.