Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

One must be careful, regarding the rebates or similar schemes, to be mindful of the whole Fit for 55 approach in a European context. The European transport plan is to move away from such fuel rebates. It is effectively being said that they will come to an end. Therefore, there are no easy silver-bullet measures in this regard. I refer to the use of alternative fuels and alternative engines.

My own view is we should look to see whether we can make the journeys quicker and help hauliers through improved journey times in a variety of ways. It is not just about the fuels. We could also look at our haulage system in the context of the ongoing wider haulage strategy, in addition to the rail strategy review. Can we devise new haulage systems that mean hauliers are running empty less and so are getting paid more? We need to look at a whole range of different options. Can we look at alternative vehicles? They are very expensive at present compared with diesel vehicles, but we will have to look at a variety of options. The existing rebate scheme is the easy option, while even European directives and legislation are coming to an end. We will have to be more creative and look at a variety of options.