Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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206. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps undertaken by his Department to examine the impact of the operation of a company (details supplied) on wages and conditions of airline staff in view of the fact that it is operating a number of its new flights from Europe to Las Vegas, for example, with entirely Asian crews thereby undercutting existing wage agreements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36399/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has not undertaken an examination of the specific employment practices/labour models of any Irish airline. All matters related to employment contracts are an operational matter for the airlines and not under my remit as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. However, I would like to state that Ireland has a robust suite of employment rights legislation, which offers extensive protections to employees.

The Norwegian Air group's Irish airline is called Norwegian Air International (NAI). NAI applied for a foreign air carrier permit to fly routes to the United States nearly three years ago. The US Department of transportation has yet to approve this application and the delay by the US authorities is now the subject of a dispute under the EU/US Open Skies Agreement.

I wrote to my US counterpart in support of NAI's application in August this year. Without such a permit NAI is unable to operate flights to the US, including Las Vegas. I understand that such flights are operated by other airlines within the Norwegian Group as distinct from the subsidiary operating from Ireland.