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2019 Calls Grow To Re-Introduce Pick Up And Taoiseach Welcomes Election Of
Two ‘Remainers’ In The North
29th, Luggage Charges At Dublin Airport

May here are calls to re-intro- for 30 years.” out [with the car] empty.”

| Tcharges at Dublin Airport. ers it is not worth their time Ireland’s Managing Director
duce pick up and luggage
He said for many taxi driv-
Earlier this month Twitter
EXAMINER an effort to improve the service driving out to the airport when Sinead McSweeney slammed
It comes as the DAA makes
the service at the airport with
they are busy around town.
“Why would drivers drive
others on social media follow-
for passengers.
In 2006, the pickup charges
IRISH and luggage fees were scrapped all the way out to Dublin ing suit.
This week it was confirmed
Airport and just get the same
mileage charge for passengers
by the taxi regulator.
that the National Transport
Now there are calls to bring from the airport as they get Authority are hoping to roll
those charges back to better around town? out a 24-hour service at the air- The result of the European election in Northern Ireland has
serve passengers leaving the “Plus, they’d have driven port by the end of the year. C been heard in Brussels and must be heard in London, the
airport. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.
It comes as the airport Mr Varadkar described the election of two Remain candidates
launches a consultation process to one Brexiteer as “really significant”.
aimed at improving the taxi Mr Varadkar highlighted that those two candidates – Sinn
service. Féin’s Martina Anderson and the cross-community Alliance
Irish Taxi Drivers Party’s Naomi Long – also supported the Withdrawal
Federation President Joe Agreement’s border backstop.
Herron said the system had The DUP’s Diane Dodds, a Brexiteer and critic of the back-
worked well. stop, was the other candidate elected.
“Pick up at the airport was The Taoiseach commented on the outcome of the vote north
there to help pay the cost of the of the border as he attended a European Council meeting of EU
taxi traveling empty out to leaders in Brussels.
Dublin Airport,” said Mr “What I think is really significant, and I hope this has been
Herron. noticed in Britain, is the result of the European elections in
“That’s all it was. Nobody Northern Ireland, where for 40 years there have been two union-
objected to it. It worked well ists and one nationalist,” Mr Varadkar said.
“That is no longer the case. There is one unionist, one Alliance
Party MEP and one nationalist.
“So, two out of the three of the MEPs elected in Northern
Ireland supporting the European Union and supporting the back-
stop and I hope that hasn’t been missed as a fact by the British
government and the wider British people.”
He added: “Two out of three support Northern Ireland
remaining in the European Union, two out of three support the
backstop, I have heard that message – I hope the British govern-
ment and British people have heard that message too, because it
has been heard here in Brussels.”
Mr Varadkar reiterated his concerns that events in London
with the Conservative Party leadership contest had increased the
risk of a no-deal Brexit
“I think there is a growing risk of no deal,” he said.
“As I said a few days ago there is the possibility that the new
British prime minister may try to repudiate the Withdrawal
Agreement.
“There is also the possibility of course that there may be a new
British government that might follow a different course, a more
European course.
“I can’t predict either of those things. But what I can say is the
European Union and Ireland will stand firm in our position that
there can’t be a hard border between Northern Ireland and
Ireland and we need a legal treaty guarantee of that.” C

Varadkar Will Meet Maria Bailey To Discuss
Controversial Dropped Personal Injuries Claim
The Taoiseach says he will be meeting with Maria Bailey next
week to discuss the swing claim controversy.
The Fine Gael TD dropped a personal injuries claim over the
weekend after she allegedly fell off a swing at a Dublin hotel.
The controversy has overshadowed her party’s local and
European election campaigns.
Leo Varadkar says he wants to hear her side of the story.
“She’s somebody who’s a TD, who’s elected by our con-
stituents but obviously I’ll need to meet her next week and dis-
cuss with her the recent controversy,” he said.
“Haven’t had a chance to do that yet so I’d like to hear her side
of the story rushing to any judgments.” C