Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 11, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:“(2) The Authority shall, on receipt of a request from the Minister, conduct research and publish advice on the appropriate taxation of heavy goods vehicles and their road track costs.”.

This section Bill concerns advice on services, a matter we discussed in this House with a previous Minister at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. This concerns the maintenance of roads and how we apportion the maintenance costs of roads to individual types of vehicles. There are various rules of thumb used in road track studies. Some 15% of the capital cost is allocated to heavy goods vehicles, based on research by the American Association of State Highway Officials.

The key issue is how to allocate the maintenance and upkeep costs of roads. Ultimately, it is a case of how do we deal with potholes that could cost immense damage and which involve an immense repair Bill. I realise that this proposal would take time, but it is worth starting on it. The principle behind the amendment is that if we identify certain kinds of vehicles which cause damage to roads and if these vehicles are not appropriately taxed through the current system of taxation of heavy goods vehicles, we should initiate a change so that we provide a reward system for vehicles that impose less of a maintenance burden on roads authorities and phase out those vehicles that impose a greater burden.

The current system of taxation of heavy goods vehicles is based on the unladen weight. This has been the system historically, but research over a number of decades has suggested that it is not the unladen weight that is significant. It is what is loaded on the lorry that will have an impact on road surfaces and that should be taken into account. What is even more important to take into account is not the weight when laden, but the number of axles. I have some copies of studies done on this and will make them available outside of the Chamber. Examples can be found of where vehicles with the same carrying capacity cause a different impact on the road surface. The key issue in this regard is the number of axles per vehicle. We can show cases where relatively small vehicles are not covering their infrastructure costs, while bigger ones are covering their infrastructure costs because they have more axles. This is called the "fourth power rule", as our engineering colleagues would know.

If we have vehicles that are not covering their infrastructure costs, thereby imposing demands on county engineers and others in maintenance costs and we would like, through the tax system, to persuade trucking firms and others to buy vehicles which do not impose that burden, why do we not include that incentive in this Bill. The studies I have come from the United Kingdom. My amendment proposes to give the Minister the power to ensure that the authority will, on a request from the Minister, conduct research and publish advice on the appropriate taxation of heavy goods vehicles and their road track costs.

Many economists would point out that this UK research has been around for some time and would ask whether it is time for it to influence policy. My amendment allows the Minister, in consultation with the new authority to commission research. Then, when they have that research the Minister and his Cabinet colleagues can decide whether the UK research is valid for Ireland and whether it provides a useful way to save money on the maintenance budget and whether it forms an appropriate basis on which to recalibrate the way we tax heavy goods vehicles. I know of this research from my college research for some time and bring it to the House now for the Government to decide whether it assists in assessing the maintenance costs of Irish roads. That is the reason behind my amendment.

I believe it would be good for the new relationship between the new authority and the Minister that he can ask about research and receive research reports. Perhaps, the reports could be brought here and we could discuss the impact they would have. If there are sensible ways to deal with this issue that do not affect the economy but which ensure we have better performance from our heavy goods vehicles fleet in regard to road maintenance and if there is valid research available from adjoining jurisdictions, let us consider whether it is worth giving those systems a try here and ensure that research is carried out here. That is the purpose of my amendment.

The Minister said previously that we are short on maintenance because of the curtailment in the public finances. In that spirit, this might be one of the routes we could use to tackle that problem.