I must now deal with a deferred division on the ministerial amendment to the motion re the reversal of planned fuel price increases. On 26 September, on the question, "That amendment No. 1 be made", a division was claimed and, in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.
Reversal of Planned Fuel Price Increases: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Pearse Doherty on Tuesday, 26 September 2023:
That Dáil Éireann:
recognises that:
— workers and families continue to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis; and
— the prices of petrol and diesel have risen in the past number of months and are due to rise further, resulting in significantly increased travel costs for workers and families;
notes that:
— from March to August, average petrol and diesel prices increased by 7.6 and 9.9 per cent, respectively;
— on 1st September, the Government increased the price of petrol and diesel by 7 and 5 cent per litre, respectively;
— the Government have legislated to increase the price of petrol and diesel on 11th October, by a further 2 and 2.5 cent per litre, respectively; and
— the Government have legislated to increase the price of petrol and diesel on 31st October, by a further 8 and 6 cent per litre, respectively;
further notes with concern that:
— these combined increases in October will increase the price of petrol and diesel by more than 10 and 8 cent per litre, respectively; and
— the Government’s price increases alone will add hundreds of euros to average annual fuel costs for workers and families; and
calls on the Government to:
— reverse its plans to increase the price of petrol and diesel on 11th October; and
— reverse its plans to increase the price of petrol and diesel on 31st October.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all the words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that:
— the volatility in fuel prices being experienced now, and over the last 18 months, is due to a variety of geopolitical issues including the Ukraine war, none of which the Government has any control or influence over;
— crude oil is an internationally traded commodity, and its price is determined by changing global demand and supply factors, and has had a divergence of $100 (US) over the period from July 2020 to May 2023;
— within the above constraints, the Government has recognised the struggles many people and businesses have faced with increasing fuel prices, and has been very pro-active in responding to these fuel cost challenges over the last 18 months;
— in particular, the provision of temporary reductions in the rate of non-carbon excise applying to diesel, petrol and Marked Gas Oil (MGO) amounting to 21, 16 and 5.4 cent per litre for petrol, diesel and MGO respectively, which in last year's Budget were extended to end February 2023;
— the further extension of these measures to 31st May, 2023, and the phased restoration of these excise rate reductions in three steps to 31st October, 2023;
— to date, the reductions are estimated to have cost over €1 billion, in terms of revenue foregone between 10th March, 2022, and 31st July, 2023; and
— the excise reductions to date are designed to strike the balance between passing a significant benefit to consumers, while managing the tax base and respecting the minimum rates allowable under the Energy Tax Directive;
recalls that:
— in addition to its fuel excise reductions, the Government has made substantial fiscal support available to assist with the cost-of-living challenges, amounting thus far to some €12 billion;
— €3 billion of cost-of-living measures were introduced prior to Budget 2023;
— Budget 2023 was a 'cost-of-living' Budget, focussed on addressing inflationary pressures, and the budget package amounted to €6.9 billion, which included over €3 billion in direct measures to address the cost-of-living challenges, such as adjustments to income tax bands and increases in social welfare payments;
— this was complemented by a set of one-off cost-of-living supports introduced in the final quarter of last year, worth over €4 billion; and
— the Government has continued to act to respond to the rising cost of living, and in February of this year a further package of supports worth €1.3 billion was introduced;
recognises that:
— carbon tax is a key pillar underpinning the Government's Climate Action Plan to halve emissions by 2030, and reach net zero no later than 2050;
— the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future committed to increasing the carbon tax, and the Finance Act 2020 provides for a 10-year trajectory for carbon tax increases to reach €100 per tonne of CO2 by 2030;
— a significant portion of carbon tax revenue is allocated for expenditure on targeted welfare measures and energy efficiency measures, which not only support the most vulnerable households in society but also, in the long term, provide support against fuel price impacts by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels;
— previous analysis, undertaken using SWITCH: Simulating Welfare, Income Tax, Childcare and Health Policies, the Economic and Social Research Institute tax and benefit model, to simulate the impact of the carbon tax increase and the compensatory welfare package, has confirmed that the net impact of the combined measures is progressive, and households in the bottom four income deciles will see all of the cost of the carbon tax increase offset, with the bottom three deciles being better off as a result of these measures; and
— in the long run, the best way to protect Ireland from the impact of international fossil fuel prices is to reduce our dependence on them, and this will be achieved through the progressive decarbonisation of Irish Society, and through the steps that will be taken to meet the Government's commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; and
further recognises that Budget 2024 is the appropriate time for the Government to set out its taxation and expenditure decisions in response to the cost-of-living pressures currently being faced by many households.".
-(Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Jack Chambers)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 68; Níl, 54; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wynne, Violet-Anne.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 68; Níl, 53; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wynne, Violet-Anne.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.