Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael)

I have been following the statements this afternoon. Many colleagues have given a good idea of the shape and size of haulier firms throughout the country. We have 4,779 hauliers across the island of Ireland and 70% of them have no more than three trucks, yet they contribute €3.7 billion per annum to the economy.

Unusually, these are not multinationals. These are small firms that operate in local communities. Indeed, they spend locally, they employ locally and they do good for the local economy.

Many of my colleagues here have highlighted the different rising costs. The Government has tried to face the challenges and support our SMEs as much as we possibly can, but I have also listened to the debates, particularly from the haulage firms over the last week, about how difficult it is now to transit across the M50. Indeed, for any commuter or any business, you are going to spend hours on the M50 on any day of the week. More recently, I heard that the number of accidents on the M50 has already exceeded the number of accidents in 2024. This is a problem. Anyone who has driven a truck or, indeed, anyone who has had a haulage company is well aware that time is money. They have to sit in traffic. They are wasting time. It is producing a cost, but more importantly, it is reducing the driver's time, which potentially means they are not going to make their boat, and if they do not make their boat, they are not going to make their delivery. That is a further increased cost.

A significant point we all have to realise relates to how we get the food and goods on our shelves. We get them thanks to the haulage industry. About 90% of Irish goods are transited on our roads. Without the haulage industry, we will not get the goods from A to B, never mind to C. We need a producer to produce but we need the haulier to transit and help us get the goods back home, such as food into our fridges.

The rising costs, I agree, are fuel, insurance and compliance. We have staff shortages. We need training. We have tolls. My first ask is that we look at the M50 toll and give haulage companies the concession that they do not have to pay it. There are rising costs. The port tunnel charge is going to go up again. When I became a TD in December 2024, the charge was €10. It is now €12. There is always an announcement of a euro here or there at the beginning of the year but, strangely enough, it seems to increase secretly during the course of the year. We have to allow our hauliers some sort of incentive to keep those wheels turning.

I read recently that Department officials are considering permits when it comes to very heavy loads - anything, I believe, between 400 tonnes and 500 tonnes. The Department has also accepted that these kind of loads are increasing on our roads. I am struggling with this one because if we have hauliers that have increased costs and we have these types of loads, which potentially are adding to the bottom line of these companies, why on earth would we be considering a permit that would have to be applied for 12 months in advance? I know we all like to forward plan and think ahead, but I cannot conceivably see how having to request a permit 12 months in advance is going to be an efficient, nimble, cost-effective route for any haulier. It would disincentivise them and, quite frankly, I do not think it will happen. My second ask, therefore, is that we do not bring in this process of permits.

In summary, let the M50 be free for hauliers and take the idea of permits for them off the table.

See this speech in context