Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is a fact that what the Minister has done today will make no material difference. He has to realise that millions of euro worth of work is being held up. Hundreds of jobs are being put on hold by the hour because people will not enter into contracts due to what is happening. The Government has to impose a cap and ensure certainty in the cost of fuel. Something is going on with the green diesel and the heating oil. There is 2 cent for farmers. Why does the Government hate the farmers so much? The Minister is from Dublin but why does he hate the farmers to only consider giving them 2 cent? Then there is nothing for the home heating oil.

The Government has to accept there is an increased tax take from the time a litre of petrol or diesel was €1.20. It is now €2.15, so the Government is getting more. Then the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, says that driving slowly will sort it out. It is like the lunatic is in charge of the asylum. Home helps are struggling, farmers are struggling in many ways, with the diesel on top of it, and workers are struggling, as are hauliers, construction workers and school bus operators who are tied into five-year contracts. Fishermen are abandoning their trawlers. Parents taking children to school are suffering. What is the Government doing? It is importing Russian coal and closing down Bord na Móna. Then, the Government does not want Shannon LNG. What does it want to do - block up the country altogether?

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