Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Deputy recognising that it is a good scheme. It was designed to be delivered quickly and to help hauliers through a difficult period. It does not cover every haulier, which we were clear about from the start. It is for licensed hauliers. We have done that for a variety of reasons. It has always been the way that we have been able to intervene and provide support where the licensing system has given us a mechanism to control, monitor, implement and introduce a scheme. If we had gone beyond that, it would have been impossible for us to deliver the scheme, which we needed to do in a timely manner. Hauliers outside that licence range will not be able to avail of the scheme. If we delayed it and broadened it, those licensed hauliers would not be able to get the funding when it was needed.

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