Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Joint Committee on Transport and Communications meets after this session and the Irish Road Haulage Association will appear before it. Much of what has been discussed will be dealt with at the meeting, which will afford the group an opportunity to outline its position. One of the reasons I tabled Question No. 9 was the user levy being introduced by the UK and its impact in the North. The last time we spoke in the House on the matter, the Minister was to meet his counterpart in London on 20 February to discuss the matter. Can the Minister explain the outcome of that meeting?

The A3 and the A37 are already excluded and one of the biggest issues is whether we can get confirmation that the A5, connecting Donegal and Derry to Dublin, is also to be excluded. Others have clearly indicated the impact this is having on the haulage sector, but a number of haulage companies along the Border are considering relocating and registering their businesses in Northern Ireland. That will have an impact on the tax take and requires a more proactive approach from the Government in trying to find a resolution. There was an expectation or an understanding that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, would examine the whole road tax issue to level the playing pitch between North and South. Can the Minister update us on these points?

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