Deputy Richmond is looking very well after a year of sleepless nights and so on. I commend him on that. There have been exceptions and we have to police it, but the public transport system here has, by and large, lived within the parameters set out in public health advice which is stricter than in other countries. There are very few other countries which apply the signage on the seats in effectively taking out half or 75% of the seats. That leads to enforcement, in a way. Similarly, I understand that mask wearing i…

I think every Department has a role in this matter. Regarding international travel and quarantine, the Department of Justice has a key role in terms of Garda checkpoints at Dublin Airport and how we manage border control. Our Department has a key role. We have just rolled out a whole new antigen testing scheme for hauliers travelling to and from France. On the passenger locator form, we got stuck in with regard to using the expertise of the Dublin Airport Authority to get the call centre to try to operate that. In …

If there is any instance where the ECDC or our own public health authorities are saying that we should take a measure, we will take that measure. That is critical in terms of managing this variant issue, which does change everything. I heard Mike Ryan of the WHO say that the key thing is co-operation internationally and not necessarily banning in every instance but monitoring, managing and sharing the latest information so that we can isolate it.

I am sorry I have not got to the other points. I have some details on Kildare County Council as an example. I had a good meeting with its members today. I believe the council could be an exemplar. We have agreed 11 additional engineering staff to help it roll out the walk ways. I will be honest. If certain councils cannot do it, do not want to avail of that and are not up for it, I would prefer to see the resources reallocated to those that do in order that there will be a real impetus behind those councils which t…

We have had sometimes lengthy and passionate discussions on this issue so I thank the Deputy for his welcoming of the announcement and his kind words this morning. I am just checking this. There has been a very useful engagement with the council on this issue. I am hearing that as well as the road, we should put in a bus lane in either direction, that we should address the pedestrian access issues in Moyross in order to ensure that we open up access in every way and that we should build high-quality cycling infrast…

Today.

The Minister of State and I had a very good series of interviews with prospective candidates. We expect to be able to go to the Government on Tuesday next and get approval from it for our preferred chair. I think it will be someone who will be able to help Shannon Airport and the whole Shannon Group to manage its way out of a very difficult situation in which it finds itself. That is critical. That leadership will be needed to help in the recovery to which the Deputy referred.

I have had very good meetings with council members about the north ring road in Cork. There is a variety of plans and I am trying to remember the full details. I recall the argument being made for immediate construction of a new distributor road for public transport and good active travel measures. I am trying to recall the geography of this across north Cork. I spoke with the council members and it seemed that the upgrade in the road network there was needed. I will have to come back with the details. There is the…

We work as fast as we can in the circumstances we are in. I will provide some examples. When the UK Government raised a concern about a new variant, the next day, we banned travel from the UK. I believe we were the third country to do this. Perhaps the Danes and the Belgians were an hour ahead of us in doing so. Our response was immediate. At the same time, I believe we were one of the first countries in Europe to require the completion of a PCR test 72 hours before arrival. We did this ahead of the UK Government a…

I will respond to Deputy Bríd Smith first. The advice that we must follow is the public health advice. As I said, we expect further details later on this afternoon in respect of public health advice on the countries to which travel restrictions should be applied and the type of restrictions that should be put in place. We will follow that advice. We must consider the issues around the reopening of certain activities. In my mind, it is not driven by any lobbying or economic imperative, but by the following. First an…

There are three potential routes for metro south from Ranelagh. One would be to go up the existing line. I do not expect we will opt for that route but we should look at it. The recommendation to the NTA is that we should look at all three options. The second option is going south west, as the Deputy outlined, taking in Harold's Cross, Terenure, Knocklyon, Firhouse and beyond to Tallaght. The other option would run to the south east, through Donnybrook, UCD, Stillorgan and Sandyford, which has the benefit that it c…

I thank Deputy Leddin for his remarks. He is absolutely correct. Well-being comes from how we look after our local environment. Transport is critical to that. It will encourage him in the work he has been doing on transport policy in Limerick to know that what I heard today amounted to broad agreement that as we build the Coonagh-Knocklisheen road, we should put in bus lanes. As we build it, if not in advance, we should open up pedestrian access so the community gets the very best of access to the rest of the city …

I am very much supportive of the rail line. I appreciate the interest of Deputies Guirke and O'Rourke therein. The key point Deputy Guirke made that makes the case for the rail line is that the local authority is keen, in its development plan review, to really make it work and help deliver it. The key thing we need to do in transport now is what is called "transport-led development", whereby new housing, communities and infrastructure are placed beside high-quality public transport infrastructure. That is the key n…

Deputy Bruton is correct; we need connectivity. It is critical to our economy. In response to his question, we will have to look to retain diversity in regard to the destinations and connectivity we have because that has been a significant benefit. We also have to look at diversity in terms of regional development. We have to maintain more balanced regional development and that will be a secondary element of any long-term plan. First and foremost, it is about getting through the immediate crisis. As Deputy O'Callag…

I will address Deputy Connolly's questions. I hope we can advance that feasibility study on a light rail system in Galway. Similar to what we are looking at in Cork, we need to connect it to what we must immediately do in the likes of rolling out BusConnects for Galway and then look to see if that can be upgraded. That is my sense of an approach we might take in both Cork and Galway. Similarly, as the Deputy said, the next time we come out of a lockdown we might keep some of the measures that are in place on the pr…

I thank Senator Wall for raising this matter. It is very appropriate on Lá Fhéile Bríde, when, as he says, we have to look after our beautiful island within the wider world. As noted in Ireland's Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy published last September, the national trend in illegal dumping has been generally positive in recent years. Certainly, the level of large-scale illegal dumping has been significantly reduced in Ireland relative to that seen in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In my view, most of the…

I fully agree with the Senator that this is an issue. I have seen it in my constituency and I am involved in groups that carry out clean-ups of the River Dodder. One of the most frustrating aspects we see upriver is where significant illegal dumping is happening. The councils often install CCTV cameras but the frustration is that it has proven difficult for them to apply punitive measures, partly because of the difficulties they have with CCTV and how the courts and others view those data. This is something we have…

I thank Deputies Cathal Crowe and O'Connor for raising what is a critical issue for all of the people of our country, but particularly rural Ireland. An Post's social value has been particularly evident during the recent and current Covid crisis. It has played a valuable role in its commitment to rural communities, the elderly and vulnerable in our society. I am acutely aware of the importance of maintaining a post office network and I note the serious decline in mail volumes and the impact of Covid-19 on footfall …

I join Deputy Cathal Crowe in thanking James O'Brien and his family for their service to the community of Broadford over 190 years. The reality is that many post offices are family businesses that are trusted and respected and provide extensive services to their communities. I wish Mr. O'Brien well on his retirement. I regret that as of now, there does not appear to be anybody willing to take on the post office and keep it operational. I understand that this is a critical issue for the people of Broadford and, simi…

I thank the Deputy. The ESB began work on Project Fitzwilliam, the redevelopment of the Fitzwilliam Street site, in June 2017. The project involves the construction of two separate grade A office blocks, an underground car park and the redevelopment of the ESB-owned Georgian buildings on Mount Street. The redevelopment will deliver one of the most efficient and sustainable office developments in Dublin city, with a near-zero energy rating, while sensitively respecting and enhancing the Georgian streetscape. The pro…