Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I am satisfied with that answer. I want to raise the issue of traffic guarantees and how they might be affected at this time during the Covid-19 crisis. Has the Minister any information about the liability that the taxpayer is now coming under as a result of traffic guarantees on public private partnership projects, given the fact that traffic volumes have nose dived? What are taxpayers' liabilities for March and April, for example? Have the Minister or his Department investigated whether there is a force majeureor business interruption clause in any of these contracts? I think the taxpayer would be justifiably disgusted at the idea of private operators being given cast iron guarantees on income at this time when insurance companies are, as the Minister is aware, running a mile from their liabilities for pubs and other businesses. Will the Minister tell us what the additional liabilities relating to traffic guarantees are, as applied to the Covid-19 crisis?

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