Dáil debates

Tuesday, 18 November 2014

Topical Issue Debate

Motor Fuel Fraud

6:40 pm

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise the issue of petrol stretching, which the Minister of State has dealt with before. Two months on, we are no further in people's understanding of a solution to the issue. Since we raised the point with the Minister of State, the problem has expanded. Deputies Denis Naughten and Michael Fitzmaurice spoke to me when they heard this issue was coming up in a Topical Issue debate. I also had a call from Councillor Eugene Murphy in Roscommon. He is chairing a group on the issue. This extends from Mayo to Roscommon, taking in parts of Westmeath and, according to Deputy Brendan Smith, parts of Cavan.

Last June and July, people bought petrol in good faith from legitimate retailers. Serious problems arose with their cars and, in many cases, their engines have been destroyed and the cars rendered unusable. These are people who do not have money to buy new cars and do not have money to make the necessary repairs. These people have spent their lives abiding by the law. Many of the retailers are reputable. Those with comprehensive insurance have been dealt with by their insurance companies. However, those people lost their no-claims bonuses, which had been built up over decades in many cases. Those with third-party insurance had no cover and have been left out of pocket. There is no compensation for them.

We understand there are at least 160 complaints with the Garda Síochána Mayo division, a figure that may have increased. The number of complaints made to the Revenue Commissioners is substantially less. An official of the Revenue Commissioners made a commitment at a public meeting to engage in public clinics in County Mayo to allow for investigations. Deputy Naughten has joined us, and I presume the same is true in County Roscommon.

The point made at the previous meeting was that the major problem is trying to find the source. Delays in the State Laboratory are adding to the problem, because of the lack of resources. Staff at the laboratory are also dealing with other issues. If a car is off the road, if a person cannot go to work or must pay for a taxi to get to work, if they face a bill of thousands of euro to repair their car or if their car has been rendered useless, this is their biggest problem. If I had green diesel in my car when I was picked up by Customs and Excise officials, they would have initiated a prosecution against me and they would be able to find the source straight away. Where Customs and Excise has traceability from the retailer back to the wholesaler, and when all the cases referred to the Garda Síochána include the names of specific retailers, how have the Customs and Excise officials and the Garda Síochána not been able to use traceability to find out who caused this? No one is being held responsible, while hundreds of people have been desperately inconvenienced. What is happening in respect of State Laboratory two months after the Minister of State first engaged with the matter? Is there any prosecution pending?

With regard to third-party insurance, people have paid a lot of tax over the years when buying petrol. Is there a compensation fund that can be set up out of the amount of tax paid? Can the model of the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland be used to fund people who are out of pocket through no fault of their own? It is not as if they deliberately destroyed their cars. This occurred through suppliers they had used for many years. People are incredibly frustrated and angry and feel let down by the various organs of the State in Mayo, in Deputy Denis Naughten's constituency of Roscommon, and in Westmeath, Cavan and elsewhere.

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