Brian Stanley: Target Fuel Relief - Protect Rural Households
Brian Stanley challenged the government’s fuel relief measures and called for more targeted support for households and public transport operators. In a Dáil exchange with the Tánaiste he pressed for faster price relief, VAT parity for bus operators, accelerated energy independence and a clear stance against the war.
Targeted fuel relief and households
Brian Stanley argued that the current package on fuel costs will provide some relief but is not sufficiently targeted. He warned that many middle-income and rural households dependent on home heating oil sit just outside eligibility and will not benefit from the extra payment.
VAT parity for bus operators
He welcomed the VAT rebate for hauliers but urged that the same VAT rebate be extended to bus and coach operators, including minibus providers on fixed-price contracts with the Department of Education and tour operators. He stressed the sector’s need for equivalent support.
Energy independence and environmental urgency
Stanley called for accelerated moves toward energy independence and renewables, noting that a recent report indicates the globe is warming faster than previously thought. He argued this makes the shift to domestic renewable energy both an economic and environmental necessity.
A clear political stance on the war
He concluded by urging Ireland, as a small neutral country, to oppose what he described as a "crazy" and "imperial" war, calling on the government to stand up and demand an end to the conflict.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
What I would say to you, Tánaiste, is that the relief being given on the cost of fuel will bring some relief, but I would like to see it more targeted. How do you do it? How do you target it in the short term? That's the question. There's middle-income earners who don't qualify for the fuel allowance. There's a particular cohort here whose income is just over the limit, and they won't benefit from the measure that's there in terms of the extra amount, which is welcome. The cost of home heat and oil is an issue that's not being addressed, and we're stuck with it for now. There's a lot of households out there, and particularly in counties like Leesh, a lot of rural households that are dependent on oil, on home heat and oil, unfortunately, for now, and they're not going to feel any benefit from this, particularly the ones who are outside the fuel allowance limit. I would also raise, which is well, Minister, the VAT rebate that's been given to hauliers, and I welcome that, but the same VAT rebate needs to be also given to bus operators. A lot of them, they're mainly on fixed-price contracts, and I'd like you just to take note of this one. There's a particular sector there. They have minibus operators and that and other coach operators who have fixed-price contracts from the Department of Education and from tour operators, and they need the same VAT rebate as hauliers. The £135 million spent on it, well, is welcome. I would like to see it more targeted. There's a question over how quickly this is going to kick in, and the Tarnished has admitted this, and I think we need to see some action on this, because prices went up very quick, but as soon as this kicks in, we need to see the prices reduce. The households in arrears with electricity and gas bills, I would have liked to see in some specific measure for them, and let me say this to you, and I'm trying to put this in realistically in the context of what's happening, we really need to move with energy independence. We may not be able to become totally independent, Minister and Tarnished, I understand that, but I would like to see us being able to accelerate that and move towards a greater level, and this is really flagged it up with. The red lights are flashing, you know, and we also need to do it for environmental reasons, because the report yesterday says that the globe is warming at a faster rate even than what we thought it was already. So we need to, for a whole lot of good reasons, we need to accelerate the, you know, to move towards energy independence on renewables. And the last thing I'd say to you is that we need to clearly oppose this crazy war. It's absolutely crazy. It's an imperial war, it's a Nile war, and as a small neutral country we need to stand up and say, stop the madness.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
