-----for why the attacks on 7 October happened.

I am assured that no weapons-----

-----are going to Gaza via Shannon.

The Department of Transport did respond swiftly. The Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, has been very active on this.

Some 75 additional driver tester posts were sanctioned in March of last year.

That is only 12 months ago. That is in addition to the 30 permanent testers who were previously sanctioned in July 2022. The total sanctioned driver tester posts now is 205. Obviously, it takes time to recruit people and so on, but that 205 figure is now double the 100 sanctioned driver tester posts-----

-----in June 2022. The Deputy should at least acknowledge that.

The person in Clonmel who is on annual leave is entitled-----

-----to take annual leave and I hope the Deputy accepts that.

There is a significant reduction in the national average waiting time, from a high of 30.4 weeks in August last to 16.9 weeks at the end of February. That is a big improvement. It is still too high-----

-----but we are working on that. It is because of the extra capacity in the system. Some 41 additional testers have joined since September of last year.

Too many cooks can spoil the broth in the sense that the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, is aware of it and the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is aware of it. I will-----

-----discuss the issue with them, but I have no doubt the Minister of State will examine this and will come up with a workable solution for people. The RSA is the Road Safety Authority, so it-----

Sorry, I am answering you.

I am talking to you and making the point. Sometimes people listening in may not realise what the hell the RSA is. It is the Road Safety Authority. Everything the authority does is through the lens of safety. However, politically we have to-----

I am not finished, Deputy. Through that lens, then, the political world and the Executive must look at proposals to ensure there is balance and practicality and that there is a proper system there so something is not just bounced on people overnight, as you have said.

Very quickly. Additional capital will be required. The Minister is in discussion with the Minister for public expenditure on a constructive basis to secure additional capital to greenlight quite a number of projects. This similarly happened last year and quite a range of projects was approved on that basis. That is where it is at the moment.

To be fair, the Government's position is unequivocal. I have communicated to the US Government our position on the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. I have no doubt the Taoiseach will do likewise. Obviously, we will see what the position is on St. Patrick's Day. There must be an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and all parties must be held to account. The Government has already said this publicly. We have participated-----

Yes, there will be a message for all Ministers in every jurisdiction. They will have a clear message from the Government on what to articulate and the Government's position and Ireland's position in regard to holding Israel to account on what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank, holding Hamas to account in respect of what happened on 7 October, and of course the immediate release of hostages, which we have called for consistently since 7 October. Generally speaking, people should not be held hostage or shot. It …

I appreciate the Deputies raising these issue. I have to point out that since this Government came to power, there has been record allocation of capital funding to education in respect of new school projects and indeed in areas of special education, particularly new capital projects in special education. The population is growing. Inflation was quite dramatic in the past two years. There will be significant increases in 2024. The objective is to get these projects sanctioned and green-lighted. I believe that will h…