John Clendennen: Urges Dynamic Fuel Pricing to Shield Drivers
John Clendennen welcomes the Dáil decision to act on fuel costs and warns against a sudden price spike that would hit motorists this summer. He outlines the need to pair short-term supports with long-term investments in retrofit and renewable energy to reduce reliance on volatile international markets.
John Clendennen speaks after a vote in the Dáil, welcoming the practical step to bring the House back during the summer recess and to monitor fuel costs. He argues the government's commitment to reviewing fuel prices is timely given recent volatility and the risk of a forecourt tipping point at 2 euro per litre.
Clendennen highlights that Ireland's tax rate per litre sits below the European average and notes nearly a billion euros of support already provided - facts he says are often overlooked in debate. He stresses the particular pressures in constituencies like Offaly, where driving is essential and public transport cannot yet replace everyday car journeys.
He urges colleagues to look beyond fuel subsidies to broader cost-of-living supports for families, workers, farmers, businesses and hauliers, including childcare and back-to-school measures already introduced. He also calls for targeted help on energy and fuel bills while protecting people from sudden price spikes.
Clendennen promotes investment in retrofit schemes and both onshore and offshore renewables to build energy independence, referencing nearly a billion euros a year of related investment. He proposes considering dynamic pricing for supports so that assistance rises with prices and scales back when markets ease, reducing the need for repeated parliamentary interventions.
Decision and purpose
John Clendennen speaks after a vote in the Dáil, welcoming the practical step to bring the House back during the summer recess and to monitor fuel costs. He argues the government's commitment to reviewing fuel prices is timely given recent volatility and the risk of a forecourt tipping point at 2 euro per litre.
Rural impact and existing supports
Clendennen highlights that Ireland's tax rate per litre sits below the European average and notes nearly a billion euros of support already provided - facts he says are often overlooked in debate. He stresses the particular pressures in constituencies like Offaly, where driving is essential and public transport cannot yet replace everyday car journeys.
Broader cost-of-living measures
He urges colleagues to look beyond fuel subsidies to broader cost-of-living supports for families, workers, farmers, businesses and hauliers, including childcare and back-to-school measures already introduced. He also calls for targeted help on energy and fuel bills while protecting people from sudden price spikes.
Investment and policy proposals
Clendennen promotes investment in retrofit schemes and both onshore and offshore renewables to build energy independence, referencing nearly a billion euros a year of related investment. He proposes considering dynamic pricing for supports so that assistance rises with prices and scales back when markets ease, reducing the need for repeated parliamentary interventions.
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Transcript
Comhairle, I welcome the decision that has been here today. It's very much practical and necessary in bringing the Dáil back during the summer recess. The government had committed to monitoring and reviewing the cost of fuel, and it has listened and it has responded to these ever-changing circumstances. In the past 120 days alone, we've seen fuel prices gradually fall, but also rise sharply because of international volatility. And the last thing motorists need was a spike in prices next week. And I think 2 euro per litre is very much that tipping point at the forecourt. But the EU Commission itself recognises that Ireland's rate per litre is below the European average, but that is lost in this chamber. And the billion euro of support that has already been received is lost in this chamber. But we need to ensure that constituencies like my own, like Offaly, where driving a car is not an optional extra. It's where people rely on, where we haven't got to the stage of investing in every high road and by-road with the likes of Local Link, despite the good progress that has been made. This is a necessity, it's something that we need, and I would ask you to continue to support it as required as we see such volatility. But I'd also like you to ensure that we talk about more than just fuel over the coming weeks and months. There is a cost to living, and we need to support families, workers, farmers, businesses and hauliers, whether it comes to childcare, whether it comes to the likes of the back-to-school supports that we have already introduced, but also targeted energy and fuel bills. Not just through support of subsidies, but ensuring that we're investing in the future through the likes of retrofit schemes, which are considered best in class in the EU. And we see almost a billion euros a year of investment by the likes of SCAI to ensure that we are making those investments. I would also encourage you to look at onshore and offshore renewable to ensure that we're investing in it appropriately, so we're building that energy independence, that we're less reliant on international markets, and that we are moving towards reducing our need for fossil fuels. This is an important initiative, I very much welcome it, we're giving certainty to people over the coming weeks. But I'd also like you to consider some means of dynamic pricing, that rather than having to debate this every couple of months here in the Chamber, that when it rises, we've seen a support, but when we see them fall, those supports are reduced. And in the last 90 days alone, we've seen as much of a reduction as we've seen as an increase.