Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact that the House has made time for statements on international travel but it is more than statements that we need. We have had statements on the matter on several occasions, not least in recent weeks. There are many people interested in this sector. More than 140,000 people across the State are dependent on it, directly or indirectly, and to a man and to a woman they are very anxious for the Government to outline and present a plan and, in the meantime, for it to provide supports for the sector and the workers in it.

There have been many criticisms made of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, as a result of his hands-off approach. I am disappointed that he is not available today to address this really important issue. I note that there is a proposal for another task force in respect of Shannon, for example. There is almost a pattern in terms of the response. It is important to note that although 19 July is in our sights, everything will not just fall back into place when travel reopens on that date. In fact, airports, airlines and aviation workers will face a significant uphill challenge in the coming months as travel resumes and they will need continuing support.

The transport committee has spent recent days discussing in detail the merits of antigen testing. I raised the issue again with the Minister this morning on Oral Questions. It is clear there was an attempt by some members of Government parties to lay the blame for all this at the feet of NPHET but the evidence of the CMO to the transport committee yesterday highlighted that the Department of Transport simply has not pursued this avenue aggressively. The CMO clearly stated yesterday to the committee that there is no evidence base for introducing antigen testing for international travel. I and other members of the committee pointed to several reports but none of the reports dealt with the area of international travel specifically. We can argue the merits of taking lessons from one report and trying one's best to implement a scheme but what I heard clearly was that no pilot studies were pursued. I do not think it is sufficient for the Department or the Ministers to have raised the prospect of antigen testing only to be told it is not advised or it is advised against. The whole point was to generate in a risk-free way a pilot study within the current constraints to assess the effectiveness or usefulness of antigen testing. If that were done, then at least we would know whether it would be effective rather than having to speculate in that regard and we could generate our own evidence base. To say that the issue was raised in the middle of May but the Department was told the advice was different is not satisfactory. In fact, an aggressive approach could have been taken far earlier.

It is quite likely that antigen testing would not be the be all and end all. All Members recognise that Covid is a real challenge and that we have to follow the public health advice at all times, but what is at stake here is that the Government is being asked to try to strike the best balance. It may be the case that no better balance can be found than the one with which we had to live, but the argument is that there were opportunities to do more but they were not taken.

On a related point, I discussed previously with the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, and heard discussed this morning the prohibitive cost of PCR testing, particularly for children who may be travelling with parents after 19 July. There is a question mark regarding how that will be dealt with. This morning the Minister, Deputy Ryan, stated that it will be considered. We should also consider the possibility of antigen testing. There is a real argument to be made in terms the most cost-efficient way to do things in the context of the taxpayer, but we must also be mindful of the public health advice in this regard. That said, there is still merit to pursuing pilot antigen tests.

As regards the digital Covid certificate, DCC, I hope the Ministers can provide more clarity regarding the introduction of the DCC, how it will work here and what criteria will apply. Many people will want to know that information as quickly as possible. It is to be hoped that a large number of people will be vaccinated in the near future. What role will PCR testing play? What criteria will apply in respect of various countries, particularly for those coming back into Ireland? Will there be a role for antigen testing? Many people are keenly interested in that issue. There is a host of questions to be asked. When will people be able to apply for the certificate? How long will it take to process? How will it work for those arriving in Ireland? Will the system work with those of non-EU countries such as the USA and Canada? There is still a lack of detail around this critical tool for safe international travel. I encourage the Minister and the Government to provide as much information as possible as early as possible on this issue.

What is the status of the aviation recovery task force report with which we have lived since last July? It was prepared and published last summer but few of its recommendations have been implemented. Why have the recommendations not been implemented? Will recommendation No. 5, which relates to the rebate of airport and air navigation charges relating to Dublin Airport, be introduced? On recommendation No. 6, which proposes a common fixed sum per passenger for Cork, Shannon, Ireland West, Kerry and Donegal airports, is there a plan for such a scheme to be introduced for these airports or has the Government combined these recommendations in the €26 million package approved by the European Commission earlier this year? If that is the case, I fear the Government has greatly underestimated the scale of support needed by the sector. I ask that clarity be provided regarding the exact source and scale of funding for the sector.

I refer to a group of workers in an industry directly related to the travel industry, namely, travel agents.

Theirs was one of the first industries to close and will likely be one of the last to reopen fully. Travel agents feel they have been overlooked in most recent Covid support announcements, notwithstanding the ongoing assistance provided under the employment wage subsidy scheme, which will begin to be phased out from September. Taking travel agents off the Covid restrictions support scheme now will result in the cliff edge the Government promised to avoid. The business resumption support scheme is capped at three weeks but the lack of revenue for the industry will continue for at least six months. I ask the Minister of State to address this massive issue facing travel agents.

I will conclude by referring to Stobart Air. My colleague, Deputy O'Reilly, and I met worker representatives from the airline this morning. Having worked for years for the company, they were devastated by what has happened. The way they were informed of the liquidation, in the middle of the night, was completely unfair. They have been left in an information vacuum. The liquidators contacted them in the past 24 hours and they were given a frequently asked questions document. That is the height of it. They have really important questions to ask about redundancy and social welfare entitlements. Some people, in pursuit of work with the company, moved from being based in Dublin to being based in Belfast, as a result of which there is a question mark over their social welfare entitlements. Will the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, engage with this group of workers and help them in every way they can? They have had a really tough 15 months and the way they have been treated in recent days is completely unacceptable. They need every support that is available.

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