Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)

I thank the Deputy for his question. First, I want to state that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is at COP30 and that is why he is not here tonight to answer questions. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I are here to answer the questions.

It is important to point out that the Minister for Transport has no formal role when it comes to tolls. The setting of tolls is a statutory function of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, and in line with that, the TII board proposed a limited number of toll increases for 2026 on the M50 and the Dublin tunnel, together with changes to toll rates on eight public-private partnership, PPP, routes. The setting of the maximum toll rate each year is largely driven by inflation calculations based on the consumer price index and set out in the by-laws for each toll scheme.

Revenues collected from tolls on the M50 and the Dublin tunnel are invested by TII in the operation and maintenance of the road network. Revenue collected from the eight PPP roads are used by the PPP companies to fund ongoing operations and maintenance activities, as well as to repay loans arising from the construction of the road.

It is important to point out that with regard to private cars, tolls on six of the eight PPP schemes will not change in 2026, with the exceptions being the M3 and M4. In relation to the Dublin tunnel, the tolling arrangements also serve an important demand management function to ensure that non-HGV traffic does not impede the transit of heavy goods vehicles to Dublin Port. To ensure that the tunnel can continue to fulfil its core purpose, a €1 increase in that toll that applies to southbound traffic in the morning was deemed appropriate. Tolls on the tunnel at other times remain unchanged.

Finally, I wish to add that road tolling aligns with national climate policy and the principle that the user pays and that if tolling revenue did not exist, it would be necessary to use additional Exchequer funding to ensure that the national road network is maintained

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