Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak to the Bill. The House is aware that it is being introduced to deal with a number of issues which arise as a result of the coming into force on 4 December of EU regulations dealing with road transport operators.

I support the provisions contained in the Bill and will take the opportunity to speak on a number of them. It is worth noting some interesting facts pertaining to road transport. In 2010 Irish registered goods vehicles transported a total of 126 million tonnes of goods by road. A total of 1,457 million vehicle kilometres were travelled in the same year. The average number of goods vehicles surveyed was 84,025. The fleet size has increased by 31% since 2000. These goods vehicles completed 11 million loaded journeys in 2010. That is a sizeable amount of economic activity and operators of transport businesses need to be regulated and licenced. I welcome the requirements introduced in the legislation in this regard. We are all aware of the difficulties for many people involved in business in Ireland and the transport business is no exception. In fact, many would argue that it is even more challenging. While I would like to highlight the difficulties, I agree with the proposal that transport companies must be licensed and ensure they are run by professionally qualified managers. When one considers the number of kilometres travelled and the tonnage transported, it is imperative that the management of such businesses is undertaken by competent people. Matters such as road safety, vehicle safety and roadworthiness, the description of goods, type of goods, the regulation of particular products and security of transport of certain products are the responsibility of the said transport managers which, by any standard, are responsible positions in a company.

As has been well documented, illegal drugs are plentiful on the streets of the country, despite the very best efforts of the Garda, Customs service officers and the Naval Service which have intercepted large amounts of narcotics at various ports in recent years. However, it is inevitable that drugs will find their way into the country through the commercial truck and transport network. I hope this legislation which copperfastens the position of transport managers and the licensing structure will help to ensure rogue transport companies and individual drivers who have in the past engaged in this activity will be scrutinised more closely in the future.

Human trafficking has been evident in the country. Tragically, families have travelled here in containers on the back of trucks returning from central and eastern Europe, and many have either suffocated or almost died because of dehydration. Rogue transport operators have often collaborated with eastern European gangsters in bringing such persons here in other circumstances we have seen innocent drivers caught who were unaware of their return cargo.

I note the Farrelly report of June 2009 which examined the awarding of a transport haulage licence to Mr Kieran Boylan after it had come to light that Mr. Boylan who had been convicted of a serious criminal offence had been awarded a road transport operator's licence. The report recommended new regulations be put in place to help to prevent this happening again. They were introduced in September 2009. The Bill proposes that the Minister decides if the person who has been convicted of an offence under the stated Acts should be refused a licence or, if already a holder, whether the licence should be withdrawn or suspended. The Minister must determine if these actions would be a disproportionate response, considering the nature of the offence involved. The Bill means that all offences under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, not just those under sections 4 and 5, and the other Acts listed must be notified to the Minister and could impact on the refusal or withdrawal of a licence. Unlike the current situation, the Bill includes no time limit in respect of when the offences were committed.

I also welcome the proposal to publish up-to-date details on the Department's website which will become more accessible to the general public. Clients and large companies engaging in contracts with transport carriers can instantly check the up-to-date details of these companies before engaging in contracts with them.

I take the opportunity to highlight to the House, and the Minister, the difficulties created for many transport operators by the rising price of fuel and, in particular, the proposal to raise the price of fuel through the carbon tax introduced by the last Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government. The rise in the international price of fuel, coupled with this increase and the increase in costs that will be passed on to companies which produce goods for either export or the domestic market, will challenge transport companies to stay in business. We must be aware that with a large dependence on our export companies to create and retain jobs the Government must keep a tight eye on fuel and transport costs. I, therefore, ask the Minister to consider some form of rebate on carbon tax for transport companies engaged in the provision of industrial transport to ensure there would be some control on transport costs. A scheme similar to the VAT rebate scheme should be examined on carbon tax for certain sectors. I urge the Ministers for Transport and Finance to ask their respective Departments to examine such a proposal before next year's budget. I ask the Minister to comment on this idea if he has the opportunity to do so.

It is worth noting that bus transport companies cannot avail of the VAT rebate which is very frustrating for operators in that business. If this facility were available, if might reduce the cost of transporting many of our tourists around the country and would reduce the cost of holidays in Ireland for many of our coach tour visitors.

It is essential that operators of good repute succeed in the transport business in Ireland. I am glad the Bill strengthens the position for the people concerned and that penalties for unlicensed operators and non-compliance are being increased.

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