Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will be aware that we are having this debate because the Government cut excise duty back in 2022. That was the right decision at the time. The restoration that has taken place since has been on a phased basis and one final phase of that restoration was due. I have given a commitment to the House on a number of occasions that this will be kept under review. Luckily I did not take the Deputy's advice in the budget last year, which would have involved putting up petrol prices by 8 cent per litre last month, diesel by 6 cent and marked gas oil by 3.4 cent. I did not take his advice and that was the right decision. The Government is acutely conscious of that cross-Border dynamic he mentioned. At different points in our history it has happened in different directions. Clearly on this occasion, for now, it is the case that fuel and particularly petrol is more expensive south of the Border than it is north of the Border. I am very much aware of that.

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