Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

While the six-month delay will be welcomed by many people, it is a case of kicking the can down the road. In fact, so many cans have been kicked down the road by this Government, it will make a fortune in the new cash for cans recycling measures when they are introduced in 2024. When the hikes come in they will hit people's pockets. They will hit the pockets of workers, businesses and families at a time when their finances are already under unprecedented pressure due to the cost-of-living crisis.

While I am glad the Minister has put a break on them for the time being, these unfair price hikes can and must be stopped for good. This is not a measure that will help the toll road companies pay the bills and meet increases in costs. These are very profitable companies. We have heard time and again how profitable they are. With the permission of the State, they are profiteering and price gouging.

There will be other consequences for the people where I live in Dublin West, in Strawberry Beds, Lucan, Castleknock and Clonsilla, because it will mean heavier traffic as people try to save money by avoiding the tolls when the increases come in. The empty M3 will remain a virtual ghost road as people use the old N3 to avoid the price gouging. It will also impact on hauliers, increase transport costs and push up the price of food and other goods. When we talk about the cost of living, this is the cost of living.

One issue that deeply frustrates people who have to use these toll roads on a daily basis is that they pay road tax. Every year, the bill comes in and they pay and then they pay again and again every single day. The cost-of-living crisis is affecting so many workers, families and individuals. I appeal to the Minister not just to give them a temporary break but to stop the road toll hikes into the future. What we have seen over the years is that the road deals, the public private partnerships or PPPs, given to these private companies make hundreds of millions, if not billions of euro over the term. I heard there is a 40-year term in one of them. That is outrageous.

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