Results 3,961-3,980 of 9,052 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Aviation Industry (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Irish aviation sector is critical to Ireland's economic development by being a key enabler of international trade and business, including foreign direct investment and tourism. However, the impact of Covid-19 on travel is the most challenging crisis in its history. Many analysts are predicting that it will take several years for the sector to return to 2019 levels of activity. While...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Aviation Industry (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: We are having constructive conversations with trade unions and employer groups as part of the LEEF subgroup, which is helping this engagement on the needs of the sector. In the Government's economic recovery plan, which was published on 1 June, we were clear that aviation was one of the sectors that would take longer to recover. Officials in my Department are considering further supports...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Aviation Industry (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: As the Deputy knows, the European Commission gave us approval under EU state aid rules for €26 million to compensate airports for the damages caused by Covid-19. My objective was to enable commercial business within airports and allow them to deal directly with airlines in terms of route incentives and the issues the Deputy raised. That is the business of our airports, and the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Post Office Network (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 59 together. The Government is committed to working with An Post and Postmasters to ensure that the post office network continues to play a strong role in the delivery of postal and other services to their customers. My officials and I have met with representatives of the Irish Postmasters' Union (IPU) in relation to the Grant Thornton Report and...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: My Department is in constant contact with the Road Safety Authority since the start of the pandemic regarding all of its services, the impact of Covid-19 on those services, and how they can best be maintained in the current circumstances. Since last October, the driver testing service has been prioritising essential workers. Since May 2021, the RSA has been returning to delivering tests...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Airport Policy (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87, 120, 137, 175 and 183 together. In recent days I have received email correspondence from many individual air traffic controllers outlining their concerns regarding workplace issues within the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). This correspondence was also copied to members of the Oireachtas, the IAA, and my Department. The issues raised in...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: International Protection (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: As set out in the Programme for Government, the Government will act on interim recommendations from the Chair of the Expert Group on the Provision of Support, including Accommodation, to Persons in the International Protection Process (Asylum Seekers) to improve conditions for asylum seekers currently living in the system. This includes the ability to apply for driver licences.  To...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Aviation Industry (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: Government supports for the airports, airlines and companies in the aviation sector have been provided throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, it is estimated that the sector will have received over €300 million through a number of the supports available. The bulk of the support is through the wage subsidy scheme which was specifically designed to maintain the link...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Airport Policy (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94, 96 and 170 together. As the Deputy is aware, Cork Airport has closed to undertake a major runway reconstruction for 10 weeks until 22 November, when it will reopen for the busy Christmas period. Given the mix of business and operational demands at different stages of this project, Cork Airport has engaged extensively with employees during the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton:  As Minister, I am very concerned to ensure that there are appropriate speed limits in place.  This is an essential matter of public safety, as speed is not only a major cause of collisions, but also a determining factor in how serious those collisions are. By way of addressing this issue, I am currently looking at options to carry out a review of the framework for the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: Specific details on waiting times for driver tests and theory tests are held by the Road Safety Authority.  I have therefore referred this part of the question to the Authority for direct reply.  I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within 10 days. Due to suspension of driver testing services in the first 2020 lockdown, along with...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Policy (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Covid pandemic has impacted transport operators across all transport modes and has also had a huge impact across the labour market. Both bus and haulage operators have been impacted. Rising costs are an issue across the economy. On 9 September the CSO published the CPI figures for August 2021. Prices on average, as measured by the CPI, were 2.8% higher in August 2021...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: While the Road Traffic Act 2004 sets default speed limits for various categories of roads, elected members of local authorities have statutory responsibility for making Special Speed Limit bye-laws for roads in their area - with, in the case of national roads, the consent of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). The making of such bye-laws is a reserved...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Dublin Airport Authority (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I would like to thank the Deputy for her question. In the first instance, the matters being referred to by the Deputy are industrial relations matters and therefore, a matter for the Company, the employees and the trade unions concerned.    COVID-19 has had an unprecedented adverse impact on daa’s operations.   Passenger numbers at Dublin and...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Wind Energy Generation (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: Rosslare Europort is unique among the State-owned ports, as it is not a commercial company operating under the Harbours Acts but is instead operated on a commercial basis as a division of Iarnród Éireann with all investments funded from port revenues. It is a Tier 2 Port under National Ports Policy and as the second largest RoRo port in the State has an important role in...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Fishing Industry (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: By way of background to the case of the fishing vessel “MFV Mary Kate” it is helpful to set out the safety regime for fishing vessels in Ireland. The fleet is divided into three classes for the regulation of safety. These are the greater than 24m vessels which are regulated by means of an EU Directive since 1999. The next category are the 15m to 24m and these are not regulated...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: In order to deal with the driving test backlog, the Road Safety Authority received sanction to hire 40 new temporary testers, in addition to 36 they were sanctioned to retain or rehire in 2020. These new testers have completed their training and are now conducting live tests since July 2021. Sanction has also been granted to recruit a further 40.  At this point I do not believe that...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Licences (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: Further extensions to the validity of learner permits are not being considered at this time. The latest extension to the validity of learner permits, granted because of the difficulties in applying for and renewing a learner permit while services were unavailable under Covid 19 restrictions, was introduced on 24 June 2021. It applied to permits expiring between 1 March 2020 and 31 July...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Policy (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I am very live to the growing problem of HGV driver shortages in the road haulage industry.  The dedicated work of these professional drivers during the pandemic kept our supply lines open, highlighting the importance of their work.  At lot is already being done to help address the problem and in July I asked the National Logistics and Supply Chain Skills Group,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (16 Sep 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: Due to the suspension of driver testing services in the initial pandemic response, along with the health protocols required since the resumption of services, services are operating well below normal capacity and a significant backlog has developed. Covid 19 has had a profound effect on the delivery of services which must comply with occupational and public health guidelines. Fewer daily tests...