Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their testimony and submissions and the work they have done in recent weeks and months. This discussion is, to some extent, a continuation of the work done over the summer by the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response. It is unfortunate that we always seem to have the aviation industry before us when domestic pressures arising from Covid are moving in a particular direction. On tackling Covid domestically, the impact of the short-term measures of moving levels will take a few weeks. However, we must be clear and strong in our messaging that getting the aviation sector back up and running, as we all agree is needed, is a short, medium and long-term project. We cannot let the mood in Ireland affect what we need to call for in the aviation industry.

Travel agents are the forgotten sector in the aviation sector. In their representations in recent weeks, Mr. Dawson and Mr. Hackett did a good job in getting travel agents into the conversation. Have they had time to make representations on testing either to the Minister for Transport or senior officials in his Department? What is their impression of what came back from the other side of the table? I and other members of the committee are blue in the face talking about testing. Last week, Mr. Dalton Philips of the DAA informed us that the authority was ready to go and could carry out 15,000 tests a day from its own resources. He said testing would not impact on the public system, it could be done now and asked that the DAA be given the go-ahead. When the witnesses made representations on testing to the Government what was the response?