Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government and my party have done more for the haulage sector than the Deputy's party has ever promised or delivered. The Deputy should consider what the Government has delivered for the sector. The fuel rebate for hauliers was introduced in recognition of their legitimate need. Fuel duty has been frozen for the past three years in each of the budgets the Government has brought in and now, a commitment has been given to bring in a fair and sustainable tax system for the sector. The Deputy is wheeling out the rhetoric on what he believes should have been done when his own party never did anything. During the peak of greatest difficulty for the country, the Government recognised the vital contribution of the haulage sector through the delivery of the aforementioned three measures and put in place an extensive body of work to secure further recognition of this from the Government of the United Kingdom. If one examines the actual performance of the sector at present, at the end of September 2014 16,211 vehicles were operating under the road haulage operator licence, which constitutes an increase of 10.5% on the position a year earlier. A key cause of this increase was the measures brought in by the Government to support an industry it is aware is vital to the economy.

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