Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have two questions for the Minister. At the beginning of his contribution, he referred to the fact that there have been 54 deaths on the roads so far this year. That is shocking when one considers the reduction in traffic on the roads. That should be said an awful lot more.

The Minister also stated that tests for drink-driving and drug-driving have increased significantly and the number of people being caught has also increased significantly. Is it the case that there is more enforcement following the increase in checkpoints rather than more drink-driving taking place? I am very interested in hearing his views on that.

The other question I wish to ask him about is rural transport and the companies providing it. As he will be aware, the NTA has maintained the funding for rural transport companies at 100%. That is very welcome and it is very encouraging of the authority to do that. As we move into the new phases, given the social distancing requirements, the existing rural transport buses will only have a significantly reduced capacity of 23%. Do the Minister's plans include increasing capacity on them?

The Minister referred to masks and hand washing on flights and on buses. Will that also apply to rural transport? Will funding be provided so that rural transport companies can provide masks and hand sanitisers for people travelling on their buses?

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