Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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16. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 20 of 2 December 2021, the progress that his Department has made regarding the use of a facility (details supplied) in County Wexford for the parking of heavy goods vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18508/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The primary purpose of the State site at Kilrane is to ensure that all of the appropriate statutory customs, SPS and health checks and controls required for HGVs arriving from Great Britain are undertaken in a secure, timely and efficient fashion with the minimum of delay. Any additional use of the site would need to have regard to that important priority in addition to the relevant operational and safety considerations.

A review of the design of the site for use for additional parking of HGVs is continuing and my Department has an assessment from the OPW on this. This is being reviewed in the light of the recent decision by Revenue Commissioners to move its mobile scanner to the Kilrane site to facilitate the establishment within the port of a Reception centre for persons arriving from Ukraine. My Department is engaging with the relevant agencies to assess the feasibility of providing the additional parking and this is expected to be completed shortly.

The Department is aware that Rosslare Europort has issued an information statement requesting truck drivers and hauliers not to park their vehicles in neighbouring villages while waiting for access to Rosslare Europort for ferry departure deadlines. It is suggested that drivers waiting for a ferry departure should park their vehicle at Gorey Service Station, Ballyellin, on the M11, or at Barntown Service Station, at Larkin’s Cross near Wexford town.

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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17. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has received correspondence from a person (details supplied) concerning an extension of the Government emergency support for the haulage sector which seeks the extension of the scheme to own account operators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18524/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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On 15 March 2022, the Government approved an emergency support measure – the Licensed Haulage Emergency Support Scheme to address cost pressures arising from current high fuel prices. I can confirm that the scheme will be open to operators holding a road haulage operator licence. The Department is currently working to make the scheme operative. Details of how to apply, as well as the scheme terms and conditions, will be communicated to all licensed hauliers using the email address held on file in the Road Transport Operator Licensing unit in Loughrea.

In deciding on this targeted, temporary scheme, the Government considered that the licensed haulage sector is a specific case for several reasons, primarily that the sector is of national strategic importance as a critical enabler of a functioning supply chain, bringing essential supplies into and around the State, supporting key infrastructure and enabling the maintenance of economic and social activity. While this is true for certain other operators also, fuel represents a greater overall proportion of overhead cost for hauliers than would be the case for other businesses who self-provide transport as part of their wider business.

Given the rapid increase in fuel prices linked to the crisis in Ukraine, the haulage sector reported to the Government a serious risk of cessation of business among haulage companies that would have had significant implications for supply chains into the State, including for essential goods.

You will be aware that on 9 March 2022, in recognition of rising fuel costs for all citizens and businesses, the Government reduced Excise duty by 20 cent per litre of petrol, 15 cent per litre of diesel and 2 cent in the excise duty charged on marked gas oil in order to reduce the cost of fuels.

The Minister for Finance has written to the European Commission to ask what flexibilities might be available on an emergency basis to reduce the tax on fuel. Currently, however, the EU Energy Tax Directive limits the possibility of further reducing the tax on fuel. Specifically, the Directive requires a minimum tax of €0.33 per litre and the measures already decided have reduced the tax on diesel to the minimum.

In general, however, it should be noted that the causes of these fuel price pressures are not within the control of Government and are being directly influenced by external factors, including the Ukraine crisis.

The Government has limited resources but through the Excise measure announced on 09 March, as well as the Licenced Haulage Emergency Support Scheme approved on 15 March 2022, it has responded to help to ease the impact of these price increases. However, we must accept that it will not be possible to insulate citizens and businesses from the full impact of these fuel price increases. In support with these sudden increased costs, the Government is seeking to cushion the shock of the rapid spike in fuel prices. While it remains to be seen how fuel prices evolve it is imperative that haulage and other businesses engage with their customers on the need for the prices for their products or services to reflect the increasing costs.