Ivor Callely
Question:67 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the transport costs for general hauliers operating in Ireland compared to our EU counterparts; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Haulage Costs.
It is generally accepted that haulage costs in Ireland are adversely affected by our island-peripheral location imposing as it does haulage over greater distances than our European counterparts and the need to resort to a shipping mode to reach our markets in Britain and the continent.
Infrastructural factors which could be said to militate against a lower cost base for the haulage industry here such as inadequate roads and port facilities have been progressively addressed by the EC Operational Programme on Peripherality. This work is to continue with substantial investment in these areas under theNational Development Plan 1994-1999 which outlines the primary objectives of transport investment in the period 1994-1999 as being: to improve internal and access transport infrastructure and facilities on an integrated basis, thereby reducing transport costs and offsetting the negative effects of peripherality; and to improve the reliability of the transport system by removing bottleknecks, remedying capacity deficiencies and reducing absolute journey times and journey time variance.
Other factors which impact on the cost base of hauliers in this country include such items as tax and excise duties, fuel prices, ferry and port charges, insurance and labour costs all of which are outside the scope of my remit at the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications.
Costs on the road haulage industry which result directly from the activities of my Department arise only in respect of the fees for the road freight carrier's licences and for the various authorisations needed to operate abroad. Such fees are kept as low as possible consistent with covering administrative costs. I have just completed a major review in this area which will result in a simplified fee structure, involving lower charges in some instances, with effect from 1 June 1994.