Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The short answer to the Senator's question is that this issue is currently under debate within the EU. The Commission has proposed a new energy taxation directive and, as part of that, a discussion is under way on whether the tax exemptions for aviation and maritime fuel should be removed. As a participant in this debate, as a representative of the Government of a country with an economy that relies heavily on air and maritime access, I have significant concerns about the impact on access to our island economy if we were to change significantly how fuel for aviation, in particular, is taxed across the EU. That debate is under way and it is a decision for another day. To the Senator's question as to whether the issue is being discussed at the moment, the answer is "Yes".