Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the contribution of the Irish Road Haulage Association to agriculture, industry and businesses. While I acknowledge that the subsidy involves a fossil fuel, given the higher fuel costs at present, the aim is to make road hauliers more competitive. The subsidy is significant for businesses that are reliant on deliveries from road hauliers. This measure needs to be kept for the moment and phased out eventually, which is the Minister's aim. If we are to keep our deliveries on the road and allow businesses to receive these deliveries, we need to keep this measure.