I thank my colleague, Deputy Daly, for bringing this motion to the House. I can hardly believe what the Minister of State read out because, basically, the thread running through it is that there is no problem, and he is not going to do anything to fix it-----

Sentiment score: -0.12

-----because there is no problem in the first instance. Right through it, it goes on about how much better off people are. I can tell the Minister of State that people in County Mayo certainly do not feel better off. Despite the Government's lack of investment in public transport, however, it seems completely unaware that many people have no choice but to drive. In rural areas and in my own constituency of Mayo, there is more often than not no public transport option or no bus routes or train line and no alternative but to drive. The whole idea of carbon tax as the Government presents it is to change behaviours, but how can it change behaviours if it does not provide a proper alternative? For people in Belmullet, Ballina or Ballyhaunis, the car is not a choice; it is a lifeline. Yet, this Government's policies are making it more expensive by the day to keep a car on the road. Budget 2026 added another carbon tax hike on petrol and diesel, that is, an extra €3 on a full tank on top of the €15 already piled on in recent years. This is not climate action. It is a cash grab that punishes ordinary workers, families and small businesses who simply have no alternative. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have overseen an Ireland where the cost of living is spiralling out of control. Motorists are paying some of the highest petrol and diesel prices in the EU. Car insurance costs are up 9% this year alone, which is double the European average, while profits in the insurance industry soar. That does not cost anything for the Government. The Minister if State is saying that Sinn Féin has not costed things. These are costs. We are allowing people to profit. Now, we learn that private toll companies operating under gold-plated public-private partnership contracts are recording millions of euro in profits while the Minister for Transport stands idly by. The toll on the M50 alone brought in over €212 million last year, with €12.5 million in penalties. That is not a sustainable transport policy. It is a rip-off. This rip-off has a knock-on effect on the cost of doing business. Small enterprises, couriers, hauliers and tradespeople are all struggling to stay afloat as transport costs eat into their margins. The recent receivership of Fastway, one of Ireland’s largest delivery companies, highlights how rising transport and fuel costs are putting pressure on the very backbone of our logistics and retail sectors. The impact has also been felt across our tourism industry, particularly in rural Ireland where visitors who hire cars to explore our Wild Atlantic Way or the Hidden Heartlands face rising fuel costs and toll costs. Sinn Féin is putting forward solutions tonight, and I suggest the Minister of State take some of them on board.

Sentiment score: 0.00