Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the people of County Kerry, I wish to state how sorry we all were to hear about the two gardaí who were injured yesterday doing an honest day's work.

With regard to all of the young people who are waiting to sit their theory tests, when the online portal went live last night, there was absolute chaos. People are being told that they will get appointments in a year or two. That is crazy stuff. These are young people who want to get on the road. Their work is necessary. I said it last week when we raised the same issue that there are young people in the farming sector who want to be able to draw in silage, save crops and make hay and silage. There are youngsters who want to go out and do many different types of work. They are all essential workers. If they are going to work in a local shop that might be located five, six or ten miles away, that is essential work. On behalf of the young people of Ireland, I plead with to put the necessary resources in place to allow them to pass their theory tests immediately. Otherwise, they will be waiting months and, perhaps, as I stated, as long as two years.

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