Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I do not think it will take too long as much of the research has been done and the Department may be unduly pessimistic. I was glad to hear the Minister of State agree in principle with my suggestion. Do we progress by continuing with the existing system, which is unsuitable but people bought into the concept of the unladen weight? When the Minister decides, and I think he probably has in principle, to communicate to the road haulage system that we are moving from the current system, which we are all agreed is an unwise system, that would be a signal to them and they could be heading down this road in advance of the Minister's decision. We would prefer if they bought vehicles with a larger number of axles, because vehicles with a smaller number of axles are damaging the road network unnecessarily compared to vehicles with a larger number of axles. Would one call that a declaration of intent to move to the system, which the Minister of State described in his very eloquent reply? I think this is worth doing and probably has been worth doing for a number of decades, based on the research which he says was outdated and other countries have made the move.

I will not press the amendment because of the Minister of State's response, but the momentum that is indicated in his reply must be maintained. It is just worth doing it. The industry should know the Minister of State's thoughts. In fact his reply should be circulated to the industry. The record will be there. I think it is the wise way to go. The industry will probably agree that it a wise way to go but they will have an incentive to purchase vehicles which do not have a damaging impact on the roads.

Such vehicles are available and we do not have an industry which manufactures them to defend. The impetus provided by the Minister of State in respect of that change is very welcome. I hope it will be circulated to people.

As already stated, the Department is taking an overly pessimistic view in respect of how long it would take to carry out the research work involved. Much of that work has already been done and is available, I presume, from the NRA, which absorbed part of An Foras Forbatha when it was disbanded. As Senator Clune stated, there are many engineers who are aware of the work to which I refer, who see it as worthwhile and who would undoubtedly assist the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, in making the kind of move he is contemplating. I am of the opinion that he is actually doing something more than contemplating and that he intends to go in the direction to which I refer when the workload within his Department has been reduced. I commend him on that. Perhaps it might be the case that next year we will be considering moving towards a system for the taxation of heavy goods vehicles which the Minister of State described.