Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá sé tagtha chun solais go bhfuil táillí bóithre dola ar fud an Stáit le hardú go dtí an leibhéal is airde. Is buille ollmhór é seo d’oibrithe agus do theaghlaigh, ag am ina bhfuil praghsanna peitril agus díosail chomh hard is atá siad. Buailfidh na táillí seo go mór agus go díreach iad siúd atá ina gcónaí i bpobail tuaithe nach bhfuil mórán rogha acu ach a gcuid carranna a úsáid de bharr ganntanas iompar poiblí. Le linn na paindéime Covid-19, bhí ar na cáiníocóirí seasamh isteach agus na milliúin a íoc leis na comhlachtaí dola seo. Anois de bharr an chonartha luachmhair seo ó ré Fhianna Fáil, beidh ar thiománaithe na tíre níos mó arís á íoc. Níor cheart go rachaidh na méaduithe seo ar aghaidh. Tá cúram ar an Rialtas cinntiú nach dtarlóidh sé seo.

We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and nearly every day brings bad news to individuals. This morning we learned from the Governor of the Central Bank that mortgage interests will again rise next month when the ECB meets, despite the Tánaiste and his party voting against even considering the mortgage interest relief we put forward last night.

This week people also learned that tolls are to increase across the State to their maximum level. This is a massive blow to workers and families, coming at a time of record fuel prices. These road toll increases will hurt commuters and disproportionately impact those living in rural areas, who are forced to use a private car because the options of public transport rarely exist.

The lucrative contracts for toll roads have been a loser for the State year on year. During the Covid-19 pandemic the taxpayer had to step in and pay toll operators millions of taxpayers' euro. These companies are profitable. The M3 toll operator recorded a profit of €11 million in 2021. The M1 toll operator had an operating profit of €8 million in the same year. Due to these gold-plated Fianna Fáil-era contracts, motorists are being asked to fork out even more on higher tolls. It is not lost on people that their wages do not go up in line with inflation but the Government has ensured through these contracts that the profits of toll operators do. These firms are not struggling to get by and these increases are all about protecting private profit.

The Government needs to intervene and bring all the pressure to bear that it can on operators and on Transport Infrastructure Ireland. These increases should not go ahead and it is the Government's job to make sure they do not. So far we have seen no urgency in relation to this. The Tánaiste said the Government would intervene but we have not seen that yet. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, was aware of the proposal before it became public and did nothing about it. Yesterday the Tánaiste's party and Government colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, admitted at the transport committee that the Department was aware of this as early as September, yet nothing was done.

The Tánaiste cannot say he was blindsided. The question for motorists across the State concerns what will happen now. The priority has to be to support workers and businesses facing the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Will the Tánaiste give a commitment on behalf of the Government that the proposed hikes, which are due to take place at the start of next year, will not go ahead as planned?

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