Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Aer Lingus workers are still waiting for the Minister for Social Protection to issue an instruction to the Intreo offices to ensure their backdated payments are paid and to ensure they are processed swiftly. Aer Lingus workers continue to suffer real hardship as a result of this issue. I have with me correspondence from a couple who both work for the company. They state that they have furloughed car payments, stopped unnecessary direct debits, tightened their belts and agreed interest-only payments on their mortgage. They are doing everything they can to survive and are not exactly looking forward to when their son writes his Santa letter because they will have to guide him on what they can best afford and not bow to his every Christmas wish. Can the Taoiseach ensure the Minister for Social Protection writes to the Intreo offices requesting that the backdated payments for short-time working are processed quickly?

In regard to taxi drivers, the Covid restriction support scheme excludes taxi drivers because they do not own premises. In regard to the moves made in the budget to deal with the hardships facing taxi drivers, the widespread feeling of taxi drivers is that they do not go far enough. Will the Government revisit this issue and consider including taxi drivers in the CRS scheme?

Driver instructors have written on several occasions to the Minister for Transport asking for a meeting to discuss grievances, including the denial of access to them of basic facilities at the Road Safety Authority, RSA, centres. They have received no satisfactory reply from the Minister or the Department. Will the Taoiseach ensure that they do so?

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