Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What is interesting about this Report Stage amendment, unknown to myself, is that the Government's increase on biofuel from 11% to 13% will mean that there will be an increase in the price of petrol and diesel at the pumps. That is expected to take place from 1 January 2022. Many families out there are seeing the price of petrol and diesel increasing. Regardless of the amounts involved, part of the increase is the result of the decision to increase the carbon tax in the budget. Petrol and diesel prices have been going through the roof over the last number of months. We are now informed that the biofuel obligation measure being brought forward by the Minister for Transport will increase the price by a further 2 cent from 1 January. Has this been decided and published? In what way will this move by the Minister for Transport take place?

I acknowledge that the effect of this amendment will be to offset the increases incurred by those individuals who are purchasing petrol and diesel but this will not take effect until 1 April. What happens in January, February and March, when the Minister for Transport increases the price of diesel and petrol by 2 cent? The Minister for Finance is not going to offset that until April and in the meantime, people will be paying even higher prices at the pumps.

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