Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

5 o’clock

I am sharing time with Deputies Barry and Paul Murphy.

For months, I have been raising the plight of 22,000 taxi drivers whose livelihoods have been devastated by the Covid pandemic. Apart from a little bit of tea and sympathy, this and the previous Government have completely ignored and failed to provide support to them. The taxi drivers who took to the streets in unprecedented numbers a week ago will be protesting again on 9 October. This time it will be a day-long protest with taxi drivers coming from all parts of Dublin city.

They have been forced to organise another protest because of the failure of the Minister and the Government to listen to them or give them any assurances of real support. They cannot even get under freedom of information provisions the answer to the question as to whether the NTA made any recommendations to support them to the Minister or the Minister for Finance. They have had no traction on the request that the ten-year rule for the replacement of vehicles would be extended to 12 years because they do not have the money to do so. What are they supposed to do? There is nothing on an income subsidy. For many taxi drivers, they incur €11,000 in costs before they make a cent. Now, given the new restrictions, they have less of a chance of making a living. Will the Minister give the assurances and supports for which the taxi drivers are asking? They do not want to protest but they are determined to continue and will do so on 9 October if the Minister does not listen.

The aviation industry has been decimated, as the Minister knows. Surely who we need heading the Irish Aviation Authority is somebody who will defend the rights of workers in the industry, who will be scrupulous about safety on the airlines and about protecting consumer rights. What do we get? We get the appointment of Diarmuid Ó Conghaile whose former job was as chief executive of Malta Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ryanair. Ryanair is accused by its workers of running out trade union activists, forcing people into bogus self-employment, flouting all social distancing regulations, refusing to comply with the EASA, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, regulations and so on. It also has a rotten record when it comes to consumers. However, this is the person we put in charge of the Irish Aviation Authority. Seriously, what is the Minister up to?

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