Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the IFA and the Irish Road Haulage Association for appearing before the committee today. I would like to speak to the representatives from the IRHA in particular because my family is involved in road haulage. I thank them for the opening statements. I fully appreciate the critical role their association and members play in keeping Ireland ticking over. Without the diligent and often thankless work of hauliers, it is fair to say that we would not have a functioning economy or have food on the table.

I also wish to recognise the hardships the industry has gone through in recent years, which Mr. Drennan outlined in his opening statement, which are mainly Covid-19, Brexit, rising fuel prices, the driver shortage and operating costs. It is safe to say that keeping the doors open has not been easy for them. I commend the association's resilience and that of its members.

I have three brief questions, which I will ask consecutively to save on time. In his opening statement, Mr. Drennan mentioned how positive initiatives could provide a recognition that clean diesel is appropriate until such time as new transmission sources are available. What is his estimation of how long such a time would be?

Could Mr. Drennan tease out how he would envisage a scrappage scheme would work for small, medium and large haulage companies? I am assuming he is aware that in the Sinn Féin budget submission, my colleagues, Deputies Doherty and Mairéad Farrell, called for a scrappage scheme for older lorries.

Could Mr. Drennan please expand on how night-time deliveries would help the industry and, more importantly, reduce carbon emissions? Bear in mind that I do not want the folks of south Kildare where I am from coming after me if HGVs are waking them up at 3 a.m. I understand the logic, however. I am asking for Mr. Drennan's opinion.