Results 4,301-4,320 of 6,944 for speaker:Michael McNamara

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I notice that Deputy Shanahan is joining the meeting, which may be a welcome relief. I have a few more questions to ask before I bring him in. The first of them relates to the doubts about the accuracy of testing on arrival. Mr. Spratt has spoken about looking into departure-point testing. Is it the case that testing is more accurate in other countries? If we do not trust the accuracy of...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: Okay. The Department is going to make the passenger locator form electronic. Does that mean one will have to fill it in before one boards a plane?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: Will that also apply to ports and ferries?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: Will it apply to buses and trains crossing the Border?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I would like to ask about what happens if one flies into Northern Ireland from one of the 44 countries that UK citizens can fly to and from. I am not suggesting that one can fly to 44 countries from Belfast as I have no idea where one can fly to from there, but I know there is an airport there. If one flies into Belfast having been in any country in the world, or if one drives or gets a bus...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: There is, however, the question of the passenger locator form. Do you know how many residents of the Republic of Ireland would fly out of Belfast or other UK airports for holidays in a typical year?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: Would your Department have those figures?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: It is. Would Mr. Towey accept that typically 30,000 people cross the Border every day?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: Okay.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I do not have the figures. If you had a more accurate figure I would welcome it. Would you accept that there is no record whatsoever? I accept the majority of these people are travelling from somewhere a couple of miles from one side of the Border to somewhere a couple of miles on the other side of it for work, family reasons and so on. There is also, however, a large cohort of people who...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: My question is whether the very restrictive measures being put in place in the Republic of Ireland are proportionate given the amount of travel via Northern Ireland and the complete lack of any record of people travelling via Northern Ireland? These could be people travelling from Larne to Stranraer or via other routes. Are there two airports in Belfast? I do not know whether there are two...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: Okay. I thank Mr. Towey for all those clarifications. I have one last question and I see Deputy Shanahan is indicating. Why has the number of centres in which public service vehicles can be tested been reduced? There was a time when one could test in almost every DOE testing centre, as they were called. Now, for example, one can only do part of the test in Ennis and must go to Limerick...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: That is understandable. I would appreciate it if Mr. Spratt responded to me in writing.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: The only thing I can say is that everything we do is run by the Business Committee of the Dáil so we do not know what will happen as we make plans, going forward. Until now, we have never clashed with a Dáil sitting. This is a Dáil committee. We do our best, but it is up to the Business Committee to alert us to these clashes.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I have a couple of final questions. I thank the witnesses for answering all of our questions. I appreciate the questioning has possibly been more in-depth than usual given the limited number of Deputies present, for the reason Deputy Michael Collins outlined. Deputy Catherine Murphy specifically sent her apologies. Other Deputies to whom I spoke also regretted the fact that the Dáil...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: The green list contains some very large European states that have a very regionalised approach and it does not contain other large European states with an equally regionalised approach. I am thinking of Germany, France and Spain, which are not on the list and Italy, which is. There is significant variation within all four of those states in terms of the incidence of Covid-19 in their...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: So even though Corsica and Sardinia are right beside other and they are relatively similar islands to all intents and purposes, one is on the green list and the other is off. The Department is taking a country-specific approach rather than looking at an approach to Europe based on regions.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: On behalf of my colleagues who are present and those who could not be here because they are in the Convention Centre, anticipating a vote, I thank Mr. Spratt and all of his colleagues for coming here this afternoon, for the information that they have given to us and, most of all, for explaining the reason behind many of the decisions that are made. It is very much appreciated.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: The Taoiseach mentioned legislation and I agree. There is a growing number of people in the country. A certain amount of hostility is being encountered by tourists because people think they are flouting laws when they are not. We have to be clear that these people are flouting laws or they are not. Will we see legislation to move Shannon Heritage from a group which clearly does not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: At the end of this week, it will have been one month since Deputy Micheál Martin was elected Taoiseach. I commended him on his election because I thought the country badly needed a Government at the time. A Government was needed to make decisions. Up to now, those decisions have been slow in coming. I appreciate that many of the issues the Government has had to deal with have been...