Dáil debates

Wednesday, 6 April 2022

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements

 

2:10 pm

Photo of Richard O'DonoghueRichard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will not.

I said earlier that the Minister of State is a fellow Limerick man. This is where I want his help. The pig farmers were here last week. The introduction of the subsidies for fuel for heavy goods vehicles is only available to people who hold road haulier licences. That counts out the quarries that own vehicles and supply their own goods. It takes out the pig industry that runs the produce to the factories using its own vehicles. It takes the farming and agricultural sector out of it by using their own vehicles. It only covers people who have a road haulage license. That is 38% of the HGVs in this country. Therefore, 62% of the HGVs are getting no subsidy. I am asking the Minister of State to take this to Government. Should it not cover everyone? Everyone who has a HGV is covered under the RSA. They also have to go for the Road Safety Authority, RSA, MOTs. Then, they tax their vehicles on a commercial basis under HGV goods. The right way of doing a subsidy would have been that anyone who is compliant with a current MOT on a HGV with the RSA and is taxed should qualify for the fuel subsidy. That would cover everyone. We could take this to Europe because it would work for everyone, for every person in Ireland. The Government could cap the tax on fuel at €1.30. After that, we would pay the increase in the fuel, but we would not pay tax on it. That is something that the Government can introduce now.

It would actually help every householder in this country whether he or she is working, elderly or retired. It would cover every person in this country. People would see it first-hand at the pumps. This would help people. It would also help registered businesses that do not qualify at the moment under any other scheme that is available.

My last question is about public transport, which does not cover everyone outside of the towns and villages in this country. If somebody wants public transport, it means that we must have infrastructure. As I said earlier, there are 2 million vehicles and 2.4 million people working in this country. That means public transport only covers 400,000 people plus those who live in an area where they have public transport. It does not cover 2 million people, however. Where is all the taxation going on the fuels? It is coming from fuel taxes. I want the Minister of State to help me make a difference to every household. I want him to stand up here for the people of County Limerick who elected him to help all industry for the area he represents.

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