Results 3,401-3,420 of 9,442 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: As the Deputy knows, a suite of supports was announced at the outset of the pandemic, which I outlined to the committee, so he is very well aware of them - the temporary wage subsidy scheme, the commercial rates waivers, and access to liquidity funding through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF. In the 2021 budget we allocated €21.3 million to our regional airports along with...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: As regards the Deputy's latter point, all the road projects mentioned in budget 2021 will be under construction in 2021 and that is why they were named. In general, further phases that are not ready will come on board as the designs and planning are completed. Regarding what was announced in budget 2021, the first phase will be under construction next year. I can come back to the Deputy...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputy. These are very important questions, especially now that we are in level 5. A number of services, including the driving test service, the National Driver Licence Service, NDLS, the driver theory test and the national car test, NCT, are considered essential services. However, there is a backlog and many Deputies have been in contact with the Department about it. Due to...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: During the initial lockdown, all testing stopped and it slowly opened up again over July and August. As I alluded to, the issue related to the health and safety protocols. The RSA is looking at rehiring temporary testers who had been laid off during the initial lockdown and bringing them on board. There is another cohort of temporary driver testers whose contracts will expire this month or...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: It is important to mention our ports too, which will need to have these testing facilities. PCR is recognised by the Department of Health as the standard test. There was an understandable call from the aviation industry that it wants a rapid, efficient, low-cost test that will help passengers, not add to the financial burden of connectivity. To answer the Deputy's questions, there is a...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: I expect the cost will be borne by the passenger. It would have to be. People could be travelling to Ireland from across the world. They would have to ensure that they had their own pre-departure test, validated, recognised and certified within their own country, and there may be a request to have another test here on arrival, depending on the location the passenger has come from, to...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: Brexit is a significant concern within the Department on a number of levels, from public transport to aviation, at the ports, and in the road haulage sector. We have had continued engagement with the haulage sector. It is rightly concerned about the backlog and disruption at the UK land bridge. It is important to say that even if there is a deal about this, there will be disruption at the...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: I met with the travel agents and had much communication with them. I share the concerns of Deputies here. Travel agents put in hard work over the past few months, dealing with difficult situations of people who were losing out on their package holidays. We put €15 million in place in the budget to support travel agencies in the event of them becoming insolvent. There are talks...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: Tenders have been received for the Coonagh-Knockalisheen distributor road and the contract is ready to be awarded. A submission was sent to the Minister on 16 October 2020, recommending that this important regeneration project in Moyross be approved. There is provision in the regional and local road proposed allocations for national development projects in 2021 to accommodate this project....

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: I will come back to the Deputy. Again, that is under the Minister's remit. I will revert back to Deputy Carey in writing on where it is at.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: I can do that. I will get a briefing for the Deputy on that with regard to funding. Perhaps the Deputy might write formally to the Department with that specific request and I will get him an up-to-date briefing on it. That is under the Minister's remit and I do not have the detail of that exact project, so I do not want to say something to the Deputy today that is incorrect.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: It will be up to the Shannon Group to put forward an application to the Department on those capital projects, as will Cork Airport. That would then be assessed by the Department. I am aware of the concerns of Deputy Carey and his colleagues on Shannon Airport, but I can assure him that we acknowledge the importance of connectivity for the mid-west and the need to support the airport, the...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: We have had ongoing engagement with all our airlines and we have provided a number of supports. They have availed of a number of the supports, including the temporary wage subsidy scheme and commercial rates waivers. We have continued this engagement. It is also important to say that decisions made by Ryanair or Aer Lingus are commercial decisions and we understand there is a global crisis...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: On the timeline, part of the reason for the delay was because Ireland had to sign up to the EU traffic light approach and that Council meeting took place last week. We had to align with our EU counterparts and see what that decision was going to be. From midnight tonight, 90% of the passengers coming in will be restricting their movements for 14 days. There are not very many people...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: A decision on the amber list country passengers coming here with a pre-departure test will be effective from the 8 November. There will be clarity. If a person is travelling to Ireland from a country in an amber zone, there will be clarity on what he or she needs to do with regard to a pre-departure test before coming to Ireland. This is important because many of our friends and families...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: I concur that the rolling out of public transport and sustainable mobility is crucial. We have seen a great example of greater buy-in during the Covid period, when we have all been locked down. We have noted the importance of safe walking and cycling routes. This relates to the Safer Routes to School programme, which is under my remit. It is not just about safe routes to school but also...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: I will come back to the Deputy on all the issues, and that goes for every Deputy.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: We do not know but we are monitoring it because we know how critical public transport is for our communities. That is why it was part of the budget and contingency funds were put in. There is a national economic plan coming up. Our biggest challenge, and it is not just Ireland's challenge because it is global, is the uncertainty of this and that is why we had an €18 billion budget...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: On MetroLink, two rounds of public consultation have been undertaken by the NTA and TII. The finalised business case is expected to be submitted by the end of this year and then brought to the Government for approval in line with the public spending codes. It is expected that the railway order, which is the planning permission application, will be lodged with An Bord Pleanála in 2021...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 31 – Transport (Revised) (21 Oct 2020)

Hildegarde Naughton: Some €366 million was announced in the 2021 budget for walking and cycling infrastructure and with 365 days in a year, that is more than €1 million a day. I will return to the point I made to Deputy Matthews about the call on local authorities. The funding will be there. It is about identifying projects. As I said, the July stimulus package may have caught some local...