I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I will keep my voice at a reasonable level. I do not feel that just by shouting it makes a point any more valid. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Sinn Féin Private Members' motion on fuel this evening. I will start off by saying that, as a Government Minister of State, I engaged with the people who were protesting. I went out and met the people on the M4 in Mullingar. I recognise that those people were decent, honourable and hard-working people who did not wish to be there. They conducted the protest in Mullingar in a very responsible manner, which facilitated the free movement of people. They engaged respectfully with the Garda to ensure that people could move freely. That, however, is not a true reflection of what happened everywhere.
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That is not a true reflection of what happened everywhere and we need to acknowledge that also. The Deputy is right that the Government won the confidence vote in the Dáil. As I said in my contribution on the confidence motion, we would be extremely foolhardy and wrong as a Government if we did not acknowledge the anxiety, fear and frustration out there of the people we represent. Sinn Féin does not have a monopoly on representation of people. Nobody does. Each one of us has received our own democratic mandate to be here for a period of five years. We may disagree in terms of how we address certain issues but this Government is acutely aware of the current fuel crisis faced by all sectors of our society. That is why we have responded with the second sizable package in the space of a number of weeks to alleviate some of those pressures. This is not a half measure as asserted in the Sinn Féin motion. When we combine the two packages, this is the most comprehensive package of any country in the EU. It is important to state that, as a Government, we do not have the luxury of coming forward with uncosted proposals. We have the responsibility not only to respond in the short term but also to manage the long-term economic stability of this country. If it were not for the proper and prudent management of the economy over the last number of years, we would not be in a position to make the interventions at the rate we have been able to do over the last weeks. I note that Sinn Féin's motion is quick to state that the prices of fuels are high, but it fails to state the reason the prices of fuels are high. I wish to state unequivocally that the spikes in the price of fuels are not, as the Opposition would lead you to believe, solely and exclusively due to taxation. The price of fuel is determined by a number of factors, most of which are outside of the Government's control, including the wholesale market price, international market dynamics, international exchange rate impacts, distributional costs, and retail pricing policy. Excise duty is calculated on a volumetric basis, meaning that the cash value of the tax collected remains the same regardless of the price on the forecourt. In the context of excise reductions, this means that the State will collect significantly less excise for every litre of fuel sold. While VAT operates as an ad valorem tax and, therefore, VAT receipts do increase as the price of a commodity increases, the figures that have been quoted in the Dáil and in the media by certain members of the Opposition have been disingenuous and off the mark. This was done in a calculated way to instil fear, sow division and exploit the legitimate fears and concerns of members of our community. The Government does not seek or want high fuel prices. Higher energy prices create higher business input costs. This creates higher prices for goods and services, which impacts everybody. Previously, we had calls from Opposition benches for things like price caps. That would be an extremely expensive and untargeted measure. Price controls below the market price for any goods or services would impose costs on retailers. In some cases, this could be absorbed by a reduction in profitability, but in most cases this would result in losses for the retailer. Given the very large increases in fuel prices, imposing price controls on fuel retailers would render most unviable and they would exit the market. This would result in the State having to subsidise fossil fuel consumption directly at an enormous cost to the taxpayer. Introducing a price cap on fuel to the level some Opposition Deputies have been suggesting could cost billions of euro. That money is being spent on essential services such as health, education and housing, all things that various members of the Opposition seek further expenditure on. For those who suggest that the Government introduce a piece a price cap on fuels, I ask those very same Deputies to provide a list of the public services they suggest cutting to pay for this.
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There is no magic money tree out there.
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We must underline and understand that what we are seeing at the moment is a large increase in the wholesale market price of oil as a result of the supply shock caused by the conflict in the Middle East. This is compounding the supply issues we faced at the beginning of the war in Ukraine. That is what is driving the increase in fuel costs. Sinn Féin’s motion on fuel prices fails to mention that fact. This is an enormous challenge, not just for Ireland, but for every country around the world facing into the energy crisis. It is the Government’s job to strike an appropriate balance between keeping our economy moving and our public services funded while shielding the most vulnerable from the worst impacts of the energy shock. It is fair to say that the measures taken by the Government are to support the sectors most adversely affected and those at risk of fuel poverty. Public funds are not infinite, nor should they be spent on uncosted general measures as Sinn Féin has suggested in its motion. I will not go through the list of supports that the Government has announced, between the initial announcement over three weeks ago and the most recent announcement voted on in the past hour. The overall cost of the Government-supported packages is in the region of €750 million. As I said already, it is per capita the biggest and most comprehensive intervention of any country in the euro. These supports are timely and necessary. Just as we said when we made the initial announcement, these supports will be monitored and kept under review. The truth is that nobody on that side of the House and nobody on this side of the House can say with certainty what is going to happen with the war in the Middle East and when we will see a return to the normal production and supply of oil in a global sense. That is why we have to ensure we remain agile and responsive to the needs of the people we are honoured to represent in this House.
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You supported that.
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You supported it.
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You supported it.
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The Opposition cannot even agree what government we would have.
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