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

I have never seen such anger as is among the general public in our country at this time. The simple truth that families, businesses and ordinary people are telling me is that this Government is grinding the country to a halt and we must get it out. The Rural Independent Group raised the crisis with the cost of fuel in the Dáil well before the Ukrainian war and with a broad smile on their faces the Government heaped carbon tax on the innocent, good and hardworking people of Ireland. Even after yesterday’s pathetic decrease, fuel is over €2 per litre and for every €2 of petrol bought this hungry Government’s tax takes over €1. For every €2 of diesel bought, it greedily takes €0.98 of tax one way or another. Since this Government took office, carbon tax has jumped from €26 per tonne to €41.50 per tonne, something Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Greens, Sinn Féin, the Labour Party and the Social Democrats supported at the time. The next jump in carbon tax will take it up to €48.50 per tonne as the Government continues to destroy our economy.

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Taoiseach keep talking about their dreams of renewables, knowing full well that they are mocking the public because the renewables we really need are at least ten to 20 years away. I and others agree with the need for these renewables but as they are not here now or anywhere near being here in the foreseeable future, we stay on course with reality while the Government continues to dream.

It was not long ago that I put a great proposal from a west Cork company of putting a floating liquefied natural gas, LNG, terminal in Cork Harbour on the Government’s table. This would have given us a continuous supply of energy until other measures come into place but the Government refused to work with the company, a decision which has cost this country dearly and a decision that will come back to bite the Government on the leg. It is because of these shocking decisions the Minister is making, with the aid of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, that the people of Ireland have been severely suffering in recent months.

The Government announced a 20% reduction in public transport fares in its first mini budget in recent weeks and I presume the Minister would have pushed for that. If we had public transport in rural Ireland this would be welcome. This 20% decrease will aid those travelling on the DART in Dublin, those travelling on the train in Dublin and those travelling on the Luas in Dublin. It also aids those who travel with Bus Éireann but most of the people in rural Ireland totally depend on private bus operators.

I mention one private operator, West Cork Connect. It runs the best service available in west Cork, from Skibbereen, Clonakilty, Bandon and Innishannon to Cork and back several times a day and from Bantry, Drimoleague, Dunmanway and Ballineen to Cork and back on the other side. West Cork Connect has invested hundreds of thousands of euro and the Minister and this Government are doing all they can to put it out of business as it is not eligible to pass this 20% decrease on to its customers. The same is true of GoBus and Aircoach. They also cannot get the 20% decrease so they must try to deal with crippling fuel costs and compete with a fully subsidised Bus Éireann, even where the private bus operators provide a service that this State cannot provide. The Government has done everything it can to destroy what they have built.

Transport comes under the Minister’s brief. Will this 20% decrease be given to the private operators that mainly serve rural Ireland routes and that are encouraging our youth and elderly to use these services, or was this farcical 20% decrease only intended for Dublin people in the main?

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