Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will make a contribution including questions and if there is time at the end the Minister can answer them and if not, I ask for the answers in writing. This would be most helpful. On mandatory hotel quarantine, we are expecting legislation next week. We are all waiting with bated breath to see the detail. I have been contacted by a number of Irish people who went away for Christmas to visit family and have stayed away with the schools being closed. They are asking for advice with regard to coming back. Should they come back now to quarantine in their houses for 14 days? If mandatory hotel quarantine comes into play will they have to go to a hotel when they come home or will they be able to quarantine in their houses? I have had several contacts in this regard. I would appreciate the views of the Minister on it.

With regard to the aviation sector, yesterday we had an hour long committee meeting which was wholly inadequate. This is no one's fault given the constraints under which the committees are operating but it was inadequate to discuss the many complex issues with regard to the aviation sector. I want to focus on the package of supports agreed and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, funding. I know the Minister for Finance has a role in this. Has there been any move with regard to applying conditionality on employers to ensure workers and their jobs are protected while in receipt of any State assistance, be it through the ISIF or anything else? Have those conversations taken place in the Cabinet? Will the Minister for Transport, who is responsible for these workers, advocate for such conditionality to ensure that for however long the sector remains on the ground that their jobs will be there for them when we as a country will rely on the sector's recovery to get our economy back up and running?

This morning, my colleague, Deputy Nash, raised extending the employment wage subsidy scheme for aviation workers. There have been issues with regard to short time work forms still being filled out incorrectly by employers. As the Minister with responsibility for these workers and that sector, I ask the Minister to raise this with the Ministers for Finance and for Social Protection.

There has been a report that Ireland is in breach of WHO regulations for failure to designate a competent authority at our ports and airports for dealing with contagious disease control. This has been reported in the media today. I must say it was news to me. I would appreciate a comment on or a response to the charge from the Minister. Are there measures he will put in place to rectify this?

At the end of her contribution, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, spoke about road safety. An element of road safety is improvement and maintenance of our roads. Will the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, be signing off on the regional roads maintenance grants? It is three and a half weeks later than when they are usually signed off. Local authorities throughout the country are seeking an update on this. The main representations I receive about road maintenance in north County Dublin are from cycling groups who look for the roads to be maintained in order that they can take part in their cycling, racing and training in a safe manner. I would appreciate an update on this.

As I am speaking about roads, and this issue has been raised already, we welcome the U-turn on the Coonagh to Knockalisheen bypass. The community of Moyross must be applauded. I have engaged with them through the Labour Party's local councillor, Conor Sheehan, in recent weeks. I have seen the positive campaigning they have done for this through their Facebook group and through engaging with all public representatives. I welcome this and commend the community.

There are other very important roads and infrastructure. We have the Athy distributor road and the M11 to Rosslare Europort, and all of the problems in the port. The M11 needs to be extended. There are traffic pile-ups in villages such as Oilgate, which are not good for the environment and need to be addressed. The Mitchelstown to Mallow road needs upgrading given the amount of haulage that takes place on that road and the impact it is having on the environment. When roads are done properly they can have a positive impact on the environment compared to what is there now. They are not the overall answer. There is a bigger picture at play and we know this. There is also where we want to get to with rail and active travel. We need these works to be done as soon as possible.

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