Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With fuel prices at an all-time high pushing hauliers, bus operators, farmers, taxi operators and ordinary fathers and mothers from rural Ireland close to the edge and forcing what we saw last week with the closure of the capital on two occasions due to the hauliers' and farmers' peaceful protests, with more planned, will the Taoiseach explain to those people as well as the young people of rural communities what they can do if they cannot afford to put fuel in their cars? If people cannot afford to fuel a lorry or the local bus, what is the Government's solution? Everyone is looking for a solution but they hear nothing from the Government.

Look at the public transport comparison between rural Ireland, including west Cork, and Bray in County Wicklow. The only public transport that leaves the Beara Peninsula, the Sheep's Head Peninsula and the Mizen Head Peninsula is one service by Bus Éireann at approximately 7 a.m. This goes through Schull, Ballydehob, Skibbereen and Clonakilty. Now look at the transport in Bray. The DART to Dublin leaves Bray station and returns from Dublin to Bray every five minutes up until 10 a.m. After 10 a.m. the frequency is every ten minutes. From 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. there are more than 25 trips to Dublin. That does not include buses from Bray to Dublin. Mizen Head, Sheep's Head and Beara have two services in total out of the peninsulas in the same time period, with nothing coming in. The same applies from Dunmanway to Clonakilty and to places such as Drinagh, Ballinspittle and Barryroe. There are little or no public transport services.

This is a small example of an unfair society and shows the massive gap between two counties in the same country. The climate action plan and the Government's carbon tax dream bubble hit fuel the most and severely hit transport in rural communities. Instead of putting the horse before the cart, it is the other way around. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party have hit the people of rural Ireland first, straight in the pocket to pay for pet projects in the capital. Common sense is very scarce up here. It was sadly lacking when the Government taxed fuel to put it out of the reach of the ordinary people who have no choice but to use a car to work, shop, collect their pensions, get basic food items and transport children, as the bus that leaves west Cork at 7 a.m. is the only means of public transport until 7 p.m. when it returns to Goleen. We hear proposals for a BusConnects service in rural communities, which is welcome, but it is said it will take up to five years. If this is the case, stop the carbon tax applying to rural Ireland immediately until there is a public transport service whereby people can jump on buses, the same as others in this country, every five or ten minutes, with buses coming to and going from places such as Dunmanway to Clonakilty and Ballineen to Kinsale. All these services should link with West Cork Connect, a private operator whose buses leave Bantry and Skibbereen several times a day for Cork city and back.

Will the Taoiseach promise to stop the carbon tax applying to rural Ireland immediately until there is a public transport service in place? If not, will he tell me and the people of rural Ireland what his plans are to cut the extraordinary fuel charges in this country, unlike those in any other country, at present?

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