Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I believe the Government does not appreciate the seriousness of the situation and the crisis in which we find ourselves in respect of the fuel, heating and energy costs that are facing every family in the State that is grappling with such costs. A proposal such as the one that has been put forward is a mere drop in the ocean. Taking 20 cent off a litre of petrol, 15 cent off diesel and 2 cent off agricultural diesel is an insult. I thought I read it wrong when I saw it was only 2 cent a litre off agricultural diesel, yet the Government is expecting farmers to perform miracles by increasing crop growth and getting involved in that activity. How does it expect farmers to do so if it is only cutting excise on agricultural diesel by 2 cent a litre? I ask that of the Government because it appears it has no understanding of rural Ireland or how farmers operate. It is shocking. I would appreciate it if the Government listened to farming organisations and the people of rural Ireland, who have already told the Government this and that there was a deep crisis long before there was a war in Ukraine.

I and my colleagues have been raising for the past year and a half in the House the issue of rising costs of living and the fact that people are really struggling. We are not alone in doing so. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has also raised it. It is receiving unprecedented numbers of calls, such as from people who cannot afford heating oil and are in deep crisis.

There are solutions. One solution is to completely suspend the carbon tax. It is an unfair, unjustified and regressive tax that will have serious repercussions in rural Ireland. I know for a fact that many agricultural contractors have gone out of business because of the carbon tax and the effect it has had on their businesses. I hope the Government will see sense and postpone such an increase. Indeed, I oppose this tax, as do my Rural Independent Group colleagues, because it is unfair and regressive.

It is alarming that there is no reference in the Government announcement to home heating oil or cutting excise duty on it. That is shocking when one considers the Government has closed down the midlands in terms of Bord na Móna operations. It is crazy. I ask the Government to give more consideration to allowing people to continue their traditions of turf cutting and to allow that to compensate for the fact that we do not and will not have a ready supply of oil. There is a shortage of oil, in addition to the rise in prices due to the current crisis. The logical, common-sense and right thing to do is to allow people to cut turf to compensate for what is happening and until we have alternatives. We do not have alternatives at present. To close down entire operations and stop people from cutting turf is quite shocking in light of the crisis we are in now. I ask the Government to look at that again.

I have been raising the issue of the crisis faced by hauliers for a significant time, since long before the war in Ukraine. I asked for the rebate to being increase from the current 7.5 cent per litre rate. In countries such as France it is 19 cent per litre, while in Belgium it is 22.5 cent. It is alarming that there could be serious disruption to the supply chain if hauliers cannot continue in their businesses.

I have spoken to hauliers, including Ger Hyland of Hyland Transport in Rosenallis. There is huge concern. Those people are the experts. They know how the industry runs and what needs to be done. It is my understanding that the IRHA has reached out to the Government on a number of occasions, long before the crisis got this bad.

There are serious concerns. Other transport companies, such as Nolan Transport, a huge company, are also concerned. Many jobs in rural Ireland are created by hauliers, but the Government is not giving them fair play. It is not giving the agricultural sector or ordinary motorists trying to get to work in order to bring in money to survive and meet their weekly bills fair play. Everybody in the country is affected.

The announcement from the Government is a mere drop in the ocean. It is not enough. I ask the Government to go back to the drawing board and immediately revise the carbon tax increase to make sure it does not happen. I also ask it to re-examine the home heating oil situation and allow people to burn fossil fuels and try to put something sensible in place. Instead of punishing the people of Ireland, can the Government not bring in some measures that make sense and exercise some common sense when it is needed? As I said, we are now at a point of deeper crisis. We need action from the Government.

I have answered calls from constituents all day. They are absolutely flabbergasted at the lack of meaningful action. As I said, what was announced today is a mere drop in the ocean. The price of diesel and petrol has shot up and will continue to do so. What was announced will not solve the problem, but the Government will cause serious disruption to our supply chain because many hauliers will have to park up. I do not want to see that.

I plead with the Government, on behalf of ordinary working people who are struggling to survive, to take meaningful and urgent action. The Government is not always bound by EU directives. There is nothing stopping it from dropping carbon tax on home heating oil. As far as I am aware, there is no EU directive relating to that. The Government needs to be fair and compassionate and take meaningful action that will help people in this country.

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