Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

At the end of this week, it will have been one month since Deputy Micheál Martin was elected Taoiseach. I commended him on his election because I thought the country badly needed a Government at the time. A Government was needed to make decisions. Up to now, those decisions have been slow in coming. I appreciate that many of the issues the Government has had to deal with have been complex, but nevertheless the decisions have been slow.

One of the issues I have raised recently relates to the Shannon Group and its importance beyond Clare across the entire mid-west. Shannon Airport is in great difficulty, as is the aviation sector generally. There is much of confusion with regard to quarantining rules. The previous speaker called for people to self-isolate. There is a lot of concern and a growing hostility in the country to the effect that incoming tourists are flouting our laws. The Irish Times, no less, in an article last Saturday, stated that gardaí need to implement our laws. I put it to the Taoiseach that in reality there is no law to implement. There is no legal requirement for anybody coming into the country to quarantine, regardless of where they come from. I wonder why that is the case. Is it based on the legal requirement of being in the EU? Of course we can limit freedom of movement or travel in the EU but to do so our actions must be proportionate and clear and whatever we do must be done lawfully. In Ireland, there is a question as to whether it is either proportionate or lawful because the entire burden is being put back on ordinary people rather than the State actually doing what the State is able to do, which is to bring in laws. If we think that people should not be coming in from Italy, then make them quarantine. We are, however, allowing people to go to Italy. Italy is not the issue, it is countries such as the United Kingdom - or parts of it - the United States and many others.

More importantly, what is the Taoiseach going to do outside of the aviation sector in Shannon? We are asking people to holiday at home and many of them are doing so. Many others are foregoing sums of money they had saved to go on holidays. Are these people going to get any help from the Government in that regard? Why are aeroplanes taking off from Dublin and Shannon and flying to areas that we deem not to be safe? If it is a requirement under EU law, then spell it out and spell it out clearly.

The effect of it is that Aer Lingus and Ryanair are flying those planes in order that they can say to passengers their flight is going whether they go or not. It is increasingly looking like the case that ordinary people have to bear the brunt of everything while big corporations can continue to do as they like, make no refunds whatsoever and nothing happens.

I raised the issue of Shannon Heritage here before. We are now approaching the end of July but Craggaunowen Castle has not opened at all this summer. The Shannon Group appears not to want Shannon Heritage. What is the Taoiseach doing with regard to these issues?

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