Fuel rationing has not been ruled out, but the Taoiseach said it is not being considered “at this stage”, reports The Mirror.
Countries around the world have been implementing emergency measures, with the International Energy Agency warning that we are facing the worst energy shock ever recorded. Slovenia became the first EU country to adopt a fuel rationing policy after residents from neighbouring nations crossed the border to buy cheaper fuel, reports The Mirror.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Ireland is not currently considering fuel rationing, but all measures are “kept under review” as the country faces “one shock after another.” Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, he added that further actions may be required if the war continues, reports The Mirror.
Last week, the Government announced a €250m support package, including a reduction in excise duty for petrol and diesel and a rebate scheme for hauliers. Mr Martin said: “We did take those measures to ease pressure but no government can compensate for a crisis of this kind for every sector or every person’s livelihood, so we have to try and target it at those who need it most,
“We have to focus on those that are key to the productive side of the economy. Hauliers are key to trade, they are key to getting food on our shelves so that’s why we took specific measures to help hauliers.” The Taoiseach said other areas, such as food production, will also require support, reports The Mirror.
He added: “If this continues at length we have to maintain that support for hauliers, we’ll have to look at food production more generally, but we hope this comes to an end soon. We have supplies until the end of April and we are keeping this on a daily review. We will know later in April where we are for May,” reports The Mirror.
Mr Martin noted that the global economy has faced “endless” threats over the past seven years. He said: “We have had one shock after the other. Brexit, Covid, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the tariffs from the US, and now we have this war, reports The Mirror.
“If this continues for any length of time it will have very significant impacts on the world economy, livelihoods, and it will have a range of secondary effects. The immediate one is the supply shock that will occur, I’m talking globally now and that leads to inflation. Aviation is under threat as a result of jet fuel in particular being probably the earliest one that’s been hit,” reports The Mirror.
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