Results 6,541-6,560 of 6,851 for speaker:Ruairí Ó Murchú

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Mr. Wilson has stated what he wants. We all know there is a need for a framework. Mr. Wilson has been incredibly clear that he needs the Government to move. The first question is on the difficulty regarding harmonisation across Europe. My second question concerns the travel agents we had in before the committee who spoke about the fact they and individual consumers have had incredible...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I accept that. It is what Mr. Wilson said earlier. We need movement as quickly as possible at State level even if we cannot be absolutely sure of getting harmonisation across Europe. That is okay. Could Mr. Wilson give me the answer with regard to travel agents?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I accept we need movement. Can Mr. Wilson give me the answer on the travel agents?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: There are still difficulties but I accept Mr. Wilson's answer with regard to the waiver. I will quickly move to Mr. Moriarty. What information did Aer Lingus get with regard to the initial period when it would not sign the X and O forms for those people who were on the temporary wage subsidy scheme, TWSS? Did it get instruction from the Department of Social Protection? What exactly was it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I will be very quick as some of my questions have been answered. What refunds have been paid, in both percentage and monetary terms, and what refunds are still to be paid? What flights across Europe have been reduced and what other bases have been dropped?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: The witness has.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: The witness has answered that. Does he know, in percentage or monetary terms, the refunds paid and those which are still to be paid?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Has the general number of flights reduced on the basis of the airline stopping operating in locations across Europe?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: What about the reduction in flights?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I thank the witnesses, particularly Mr. Bassato. I assume this probably gives us some element of solace of a possibility. I agree with Senator Dooley that we probably do need a discussion with either the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs because we have had this discussion over the past two decades regarding harmonisation. What...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I accept the difficulties but we need to reach whatever solution we can. I imagine that this is a wider conversation that the DAA must have with regard to Government and being able to ensure we deliver when we have operational aviation, as we, hopefully, will have if we go down the road of vaccines and antigen testing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I believe there is agreement across the board that we need a framework. If we had this framework and rapid antigen testing or whatever types of testing tomorrow, we still would not have a huge number of flights. I accept that the aviation sector has an argument for what it terms the "lost period", but we are where we are at this point in time. I believe there is a worry about getting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: The messaging has been bad.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Okay, a testing regime and money.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (27 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Simply put, this issue comes down to the need to have the protocols developed by the EASA and ECDC in place as quickly as possible. This needs to be accepted across the European Union or the system will not work. Given our situation on this island and our close proximity to Britain, it will be necessary to ensure, in respect to whatever protocols will be in operation, that we have something...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (27 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: To be straight about this, that is the shooting match and it needs to happen as soon as possible. We need to engage as many stakeholders and countries as possible both within the EU and outside it. Otherwise, this opening up will not happen. We are basing this on it being down the line. The case for doing so is not great across Europe at the moment. On the issue of borders, we have the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (27 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: No one is willing to give me the answer that I want on testing but, in fairness, I appreciate the answers we have been given. We can move on. It would be helpful if we could have those protocols introduced as quickly as possible and accepted across the board.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (27 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: On some level I can answer my question. We have all decided that the shooting match is testing and that we need harmonisation across the board to whatever degree we can as soon as possible to ensure that we can operate better than we are now. We have used a locator form. That type of idea has been used across the board. I am not necessarily sure that it has been as impactful as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (27 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: In response to Mr. Cornelis, the app sounds very interesting and necessary. What is the timeline for putting it in operation? Can he tell us who one or two of the best kids in the class are as regards contact tracing? It is absolutely necessary, in particular for travel and catching problems as they arise.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues Affecting the Aviation Sector: Discussion (27 Oct 2020)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It might also be the way I asked the question.