Criticism as emergency fuel payments yet to issue to hauliers in Laois

The “apparent lack of urgency” which has seen none of a promised €18m emergency fund issued to hauliers was criticised by a Laois TD.

Deputy Carol Nolan made the comments after contacting Minister Eamon Ryan’s office. She was speaking in relation to a weekly €100 per truck subsidy that was announced for hauliers on March 11th.  

The scheme was established to offset the rising cost of fuel. However, Deputy Nolan said, “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.” Deputy Nolan noted the Department of Transport “is currently working to make the scheme operative.”

The Minister’s office informed Deputy Nolan that details of the scheme will be communicated directly to licensed hauliers “as soon as possible” using the contact email address held on file in the Road Transport Operator Licensing Unit office.   “It is now 11 days since Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and his Minister of State Hildegarde Naughten announced the €18m ‘emergency’ scheme to support our hauliers during this time of absolute crisis for the sector,” she said.

“Minister Ryan, when he was launching the Scheme called it "an emergency support measure” for every heavy goods vehicle (over 3.5 tonnes) in the country and that it would operate for a period of eight weeks and will then be reviewed. Well, that emergency has only deepened in the last 11 days as costs and margins continue to be hit by inflation, fuel prices and the massive levels of instability that have been introduced following the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Deputy Nolan pointed out. 

She urged Minister Ryan “to prioritise this issue and to ensure that payments are made as soon as possible.”