Independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan has urged Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan to prioritise the issue of fuel costs for hauliers and make support payments as soon as possible.
Deputy Nolan questioned the lack of urgency in terms of the rollout of a €100/week support for every heavy goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes by the government, which is “yet to a issue a single payment“.
A temporary grant scheme of €18 million for hauliers was recently (Friday, March 11) announced to tackle rising fuel costs and will operate for eight weeks before being reviewed.
Deputy Nolan commented:
“It is now 12 days since Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan and the Minister of State, Hildegarde Naughten announced the €18m ‘emergency’ scheme to support our hauliers during this time of absolute crisis for the sector.
“Yet here we are, almost a fortnight on, and the minister’s office is still unable to provide any definite date for when the €100 support, which is in itself insufficient, will be paid out.”
The independent TD for Laois-Offaly was speaking after the minister’s office confirmed to the rural independent group that the Department of Transport “is currently working to make the scheme operative”.
Details on how to avail of the scheme will be communicated directly to licenced hauliers “as soon as possible” through the email address held on file in the Road Transport Operator Licensing Unit, the office confirmed.
Deputy Nolan said that the emergency has only deepened in the past days as costs continue to rise due to inflation, as well as massive levels of instability due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.