Results 4,361-4,380 of 9,040 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 81 together. Government has been clear in expressing its support for the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) proposal and welcomes the agreement reached between the Council and European Parliament which will enable roll-out of the system and allow DCCs to begin to be issued to EU citizens in the coming weeks. I can advise the Deputy that the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I have maintained regular contact with key stakeholders throughout the COVID crisis including representatives of the travel trade. Since the impacts of the crisis on international travel became apparent in March last year, particularly on sectors such as aviation and the outbound travel trade, officials from my Department have liaised closely with the Irish Travel Agents Association, which...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Airport Policy (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I would like to thank the Deputy for this question. I am fully aware of the pronounced impacts of COVID-19 on Shannon Airport, like all airports in Ireland and around the world. In recognition of these impacts Government put in place a range of horizontal economy wide supports which Shannon Group is availing of as appropriate. These include both wage supports and the COVID Restrictions...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The use of antigen testing in relation to international travel is a matter for the Minister for Health in the first instance. Government decisions relating to COVID-19 testing are based on public health advice.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Aviation Industry (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The sudden announcement by Stobart Air last weekend had an immediate impact on regional connectivity, in particular on PSO flights between Dublin and the airports of Donegal and Kerry. In that regard, my priority is to restore this connectivity as soon as possible through an emergency procurement process with a view to services being operational again by mid July. This restoration of...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: As the Deputy has previously been advised, in recognition of the very difficult circumstances facing the aviation sector, the Government announced a funding package for Irish aviation last November. The following outlines the total package of sector-specific supports available to aviation in 2021: Following the evaluation of projects submitted for capital funding under both the Regional...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Aviation Industry (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: Section 41 (7) of the Irish Aviation Authority Act, 1993 provides that a dispute in respect of superannuation benefit may be submitted to the Minister for Transport for determination by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. I can confirm that two such submissions have been received by my Department on behalf of staff of the Irish Aviation Authority. These appeals are now with the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Departmental Contracts (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The procurement process for the new Search and Rescue Aviation service has commenced in compliance with the Public Spending Code. The current status of the process can be referenced in the Published eTenders update on eTenders and a dedicated page on Gov.ie (SAR Webpage). This is an on-going deliberative process which will ultimately lead to a Government decision so I am limited in what I can...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Aviation Industry (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The temporary closure of Aer Lingus's crew base at Cork Airport aligns with the airports planned closure to carry out construction works on its main runway and associated infrastructure. In addition to the announced lay offs for the period, the airilne also reported that they will be seeking a number of redundancies. The airline has indicated that such immediate actions and wider structural...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Air Safety (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The goal of the global aviation security system is to safeguard civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference including, inter alia, hijackings. The specialised UN agency, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) formulates and adopts Standards and Recommended Practices to prevent and suppress all acts of unlawful interference against civil aviation throughout the world and...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 202 and 203 together. All persons who have been overseas in the 14 days prior to entering Ireland (apart from those arriving from designated states who are subject to mandatory hotel quarantine) are required by law to quarantine at home for 14 days, and are requested to arrange a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test to be...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Aviation Industry (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: As the Deputy will be aware, in recognition of the significant challenges being faced by Cork and Shannon airports, the Government established a Covid19 Regional State Airports Programme earlier this year. This is providing both capital and operational supports to these airports in 2021 with an available budget of €32.1m. Furthermore, on 24 February 2021, my Department secured...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: Under legislation, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is the body responsible for the operation of the Driving Test. The information requested is held by the Authority. This question is therefore being referred to the Authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Ports Policy (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: There has been significant additional shipping services direct to the continent from Ireland as a result of Brexit. In February 2020, there were 12 weekly sailings to Northern France from Ireland, there are now approximately 40 sailings to Northern France from a number of Irish ports. There has also been a level of modal shift from traditional RoRo to LoLo freight direct to the continent. ...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Driver Test (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The driving test is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority. Individual cases are a matter for the Authority and the question in relation to this case is being referred to it for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Aviation Industry (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Irish aviation sector is critical to Ireland’s economic development, as it is a key enabler of international trade and business, including foreign direct investment and tourism. For this reason, our aviation policy places a priority on international connectivity. The sector is experiencing the most challenging crisis in its history, with many analysts predicting that it will take...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Aviation Industry (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 227 and 228 together. I can advise the Deputy that to put the cost of the type of rebate recommended by the Taskforce for Aviation Recovery into context, Dublin Airport revenue from passenger charges in 2019 was €307m with the average price per passenger of €9.18. The Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) set the price cap at €9.30...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Public Sector Pay (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: As I outlined in my reply to Question No. 226 of 16 June 2021 responsibility for unwinding professional fee cuts imposed between 2008 and 2011 rests with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. However, my Department has engaged with all relevant stakeholders, including the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, with a view to having this issue resolved. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Jun 2021)

Hildegarde Naughton: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service is currently developing a new Framework for the Unwinding of Prison Restrictions which is informed by the recent Government Plan for reopening our society, set out in Resilience and Recovery: The Path Ahead. The new Framework for Unwinding Prison Restrictions, which will be published later this month by the Service, will set out a phased...