Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

They have been detected already. It is very difficult to hide a shed with an articulated lorry. This is going on under the noses of the authorities north of the Border and nothing is being done about it. I have said before - I wait to be corrected - that the illegal trade a few miles up the road is worth approximately €200 million. Members of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly could walk up to and be shown around these facilities by an individual who knows the area. They are not underground bunkers in the Afghan mountains. They are visible facilities in which diesel is washed, loaded onto articulated lorries and moved south of the Border. It has been ongoing for years and, to be quite honest, is not being taken seriously. Cars of people who buy diesel in good faith from garages are being destroyed all over the country, from County Cork to County Donegal. The latest figures show that the Exchequer is happy to fork out €3.7 million to Louth County Council, €1.18 million to Monaghan County Council, €23,000 to Cavan Council and €40,000 to Donegal County Council to clean up the mess.