John Whelan (Labour)

I thank the Minister of State for his thorough and comprehensive response. I am heartened by the range of measures being taken by various agencies of the State in terms of detection, enforcement and prosecution. It is to be hoped we are finally sucking diesel, as it were, on this matter. It is a problem that has been escalating out of all proportion. People might think they are getting cheap fuel, but whether they are wittingly or unwittingly putting laundered diesel in their cars, they are causing themselves a world of bother as it can cost more than €3,000 to repair damaged vehicles. I welcome the efforts being made. The local authorities are hit with the burden of cleaning up these laundering operations. They cause serious damage to the environment and it is no longer just a Border problem.

However, I welcome the moves that have been made on licensing and the supply chain verification. They will help to resolve this problem. I hope to see more prosecutions in the courts and that the courts will implement the full rigours of the law to deter people from this criminal activity which is putting legitimate businesses out of business. At no stage should we let up in our efforts in this regard.