Hauliers have said that the possibility of immediate protest action has been set aside for now while the Government considers steps to tackle rising fuel costs, reports RTE.
A delegation from the Irish Road Haulage Association held discussions with Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien in Dublin earlier today, reports RTE.
IRHA President Ger Hyland said he was satisfied following the meeting that “substantial support” for the sector is likely to be announced next week.
Hauliers are calling for “emergency measures” to deal with the sharp increase in fuel prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East, reports RTE.
Mr Hyland said talks will continue over the weekend and confirmed that, for now, protest action is “off the table until Tuesday evening”.
“Our members are calling for action, so unless we have something to bring to our members worthwhile, next Tuesday, there will be action,”, reports RTE.
Mr O’Brien described the meeting as “constructive and cordial”.
“They, in a very articulate way, put forward the serious challenges that their sector is having,” he told RTÉ’s News at One, reports RTE.
“It’s a sector that’s obviously critical to our supply chains and to our economy,” he said.
The minister said he had listened carefully to the concerns raised and assured hauliers that the Government is examining “various options” and will present supports as part of a broader package to Cabinet on Tuesday, reports RTE.
Earlier, Mr O’Brien ruled out temporarily suspending the carbon tax increase following the meeting.
However, he said options being considered include reducing excise duty on fuel or introducing an excise rebate, reports RTE.
“We are looking at a package in the round as well. It’s not just one sector, but I think everyone would understand the importance of the haulage sector and also the level of increases in costs that they have borne over the last three weeks, and whatever we bring forward will require flexibility,”, reports RTE.
Fuel prices at many forecourts have now exceeded €2 per litre for diesel and are approaching that level for petrol.
Fuels for Ireland said that hauliers “are in real trouble” and that households are also “really suffering from the high cost of transport fuel, but also home heating oil”, reports RTE.
“We do need an immediate intervention,”, reports RTE.
However, Chief Executive Kevin McPartlan said he agreed with Minister Harris that Ireland should avoid “knee-jerk” reactions.
“We need to look at a comprehensive review of all of the taxation and the compliance costs that go into making sure that Ireland has one of the highest fuel prices.
“We need to make sure the Government gets a fair take, but we need to ensure that it remains affordable, because nobody gets up this morning and decides whether they’re going to drive the kids to school, or whether they’re going to go to work, or whether a business is going to deliver its product based on the price of fuel,”, reports RTE.
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