Sinn Féin TD Darren O’Rourke has slammed the lack of any answers on a wide range of transport issues and has called on Minister Shane Ross to start addressing the mounting problems that fall under his remit.

Speaking today, Teachta O’Rourke said: “As each day passes, more and more problems are mounting outside the door of the Department of Transport.

“The Minister needs to get his head out of the sand and get a grip on these major issues. Decisions need to be made urgently to give citizens clarity.

“We have been in contact with the Minister on a wide range of issues. We have sought clarity for constituents as well as businesses and have put forward our own solutions, but to no avail.

“Thousands of people are now stuck with no driving licence, no way of getting one, no idea when they will be able to get one and, as a result, do not know how they will be able to return to work.

“No clarity has been given on when NCT centres will reopen, what form they will take when they do, how long people could have to wait for an appointment or what implications this could have on people’s motor insurance in the longer term.

“Bus operators, who provide essential routes for commuters and schoolchildren, have been left behind, while taxi drivers have been ignored entirely.

“Thousands of redundancies in airlines and airports here are now being discussed and the Minister is nowhere to be seen.

“Apart from a piece of paper being handed out in our ports and airports, nothing has been put in place by the Minister or this government to monitor Covid-19 in our ports of entry.

“The Department of Transport is like a ship without a captain. There is no map, no plan and no one steering it seems.

“The lack of action from this Minister is going to have significant consequences down the line on a huge range of issues.”