I welcome the package of measures under the transporters' support scheme being debated. It is absolutely necessary for this scheme to be rolled out quickly. I note there will be back payments and that it is a short scheme. There will be recognition of any further turbulence in relation to oil markets and the impact that those markets may have on our economy. My background is in haulage, both in the heavy haulage end of it and the parcel end of it. I have seen first hand what is happening to haulage companies. They have gone through the experience of the crash warehousing their debt and their revenue. They have worked away to stay in business to this day. I compliment them on the efforts that they made. Most of those big companies are based on family and commitment from their employees. They are the main employers in some local communities, or they are certainly part of a network of small businesses that create a huge number of jobs in rural Ireland. The question is whether they deserve the support, and the answer is that they do. Every time there is a price increase and that price increase is passed on, it is the end user who pays for it. It is always the customer of one company or another that has to use transport to get goods and services to the market or the bigger companies that use parcel operators throughout the country to transport their goods or services. That is why I would like the Minister of State to respond, if necessary, to the bigger just-in-time services, particularly those companies that are in Dublin and have a huge number of vans in their fleet, to ensure the parcels they receive, whether business to business, business to household or simply online purchases, are supported. It is hugely important that all those sectors that rely heavily on the cost of fuel be examined and that the State be agile in its response to any issues that might arise for those businesses. I say this because the profit margin in haulage companies is not exactly big. Their profit is heavily reliant on the stability of the cost of inputs and so on. It turns out we cannot rely on that stability any more because of the wars. It is good to see bus and coach operators there. If we can stabilise their costs, it means those using their services will not face extra costs. It is a sensible approach in the scheme and it is addressing directly the issues that will impact on our economy and on the people who rely on these services. Expressway formally notified the National Transport Authority that it will not be operating route 4 as and from the end of this month. That will have a huge impact on the travelling public going to hospital appointments, schools, colleges or wherever they might be going for social occasions. To think that service would end without a seamless transition to another service and another bus operator, the mind boggles. It should not be allowed to happen. I have no doubt that part of the problem for the route was the cost of putting the vehicle on the road, the cost of energy and the cost of fuel. It will now be introduced for Carlow to Waterford in terms of a public service obligation but what concerns local communities affected along the route from Waterford to Dublin Airport is the fact they might not have a service or that they may only have a part service because of the public service obligation. I want to put the Minister of State on notice that that is not good enough and we will need a response in time, ensuring the costs affecting that route in terms of Expressway's provision are addressed. The public discontent about how people were treated during the recent protests cannot be ignored by this House. There was too much inconsiderate language used to described those who were on the protest. The people I met on the protest in Kilkenny and Carlow were ordinary farmers, businesspeople and families who wanted to express the fact that they were suffering badly in terms of the cost of living, the cost of energy, the cost of home heating oil and so on. In Kilkenny, I saw where Philip Ireland, who organised the event, worked closely with the Garda. They provided stewards and there was no hassle. As I said in the House during another debate, it was the first time I saw kids having the space to play hopscotch on a roundabout. There was a good feeling within that protest, yet there was a sad side to it as well. There were families who were forced to go out in that protest to get their message across to the political system. It is disappointing that those early protestors who asked politely for a meeting were not heard. I am not talking about what happened at the end of the protest. I am not talking about those who were considered to be far right or however they were described. The ones I am speaking about were ordinary people trying to get their message across. It was wrong of Government not to reach out on day one or day two to those sensible people who were making that case. As we discuss haulage, agriculture and supports for farmers, contractors, the construction sector and others, we cannot ignore the fact that home heating oil is at a level that is hard to explain to the householder. The Government needs to provide answers to that. It also needs to provide some form of intervention as we approach summer and then go into winter to those who are marginalised, elderly or sick, so they will get the necessary supports to fill their tanks without being embarrassed about going for financial supports in different places to buy a drum of home heating oil. I delivered a drum of home heating oil to an elderly constituent. It was a sad day when that happened, to find someone who was elderly and cold in their house but could not fill their tank. If the Government is to respond to the sensible people on the protest, the ones who are really put to the pin of their collar, it needs to address that issue and address it significantly. I have always stood up for the SME sector and the farming community in this House because they are the backbone of the economy and create jobs. They are spoken so highly of, yet we often turn our backs on them. That is not right. We need to find a way for their difficulties to be communicated directly to Government when action is required. The European Union has let us down in this area. It has not led the debate when it should have.

Sentiment score: 0.04