Sarah O'Reilly
Agricultural Panel · Aontú · Ireland
“I support Senator Harmon in everything she has said. I want to raise the ongoing crisis in assessments of need and the impact this is having on families in Cavan and Monaghan. Earlier this year, I was helping a mother whose young son had been offered a place in an early intervention preschool.”
“In Cavan and Monaghan alone there are 578 overdue assessments. I commend Cara Darmody on continuing to shine a light on this issue. She is absolutely right when she says children are missing the window for early intervention. We all know that the earlier a child gets support, the better the outcome. These early years are precious.”
“Parents should not have to pay out of their own pocket because the State has failed to meet its own legal obligations. Disability teams continue to be short-staffed while many newly qualified therapists and psychologists cannot get the supervised placements and recognised experience they need to practise.”
“She has already had two near misses, as she calls them, that left her badly shaken. She describes Cavan's footpaths as being like a racetrack and says she dreads leaving her home now. That should not be the case. This is not just about an inconvenience.”
“I also welcome the delegation from Canada. They are very welcome. I have three sons living and working in Manitoba, Souris and Brandon. I bring up the issue of e-scooters. Imagine being afraid every time you step outside your own front door. That is a daily occurrence for a visually impaired woman living in Cavan town.”
“People had to take long detours just to get to school. The Department said that inspections carried out in March 26 found around 130 roads needed complete reconstruction, 440 had significant damage and several bridges could no longer be used. I believe those figures cover the entire country. My question is simple.”
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“He spoke about the €750 million package being brilliant. I say that RTÉ got €750 million over a few years. I know people like Senator Joe Conway were stopped from going to funerals and that, and some people were badly inconvenienced. I know these men who were protesting, and they were protesting to save their businesses and to be heard.”
“There can be a difference in diesel spend in the past year, particularly with so many contractors going out of business. Some of them will have to take on more work and more machines, and I know one contractor who says he has 1,000 acres extra silage to cut. During the bank bailout the farmers were asked to increase food productivity to try to bring us out of that recession. Farmers bought more land and invested heavily in their businesses. They are now in my view being penalised by the same Government for that. Does the Minister agree with Leo Varadkar's comments at the weekend that it is the people in urban areas who are paying all the bills while farmers are the ones receiving a lot of subsidies? Does he think farmers are a burden on the State? I want to pick up on Senator O'Donovan's point.”
“A lot of contractors and fishermen I am hearing from are concerned that they will be outside the remit of this rebate scheme. That is a huge concern for them. What will that scheme look like? When will the agri-sector benefit from that scheme? Has the Minister any idea how he will roll it out? I know there is an idea of how it will be rolled out for farmers. Has he considered the carbon tax element? As Senator O'Donovan has said, there are no alternatives for these guys. They have no alternative. Farmers know the difficulty with Government schemes through TAMS and ACRES, which are overly bureaucratic with the Department nearly wanting to know the colour of your underwear. Is the new scheme going to be based on last year's diesel receipts?”
“They might pay €400,000 for a harvester that might only do two or three months' work in the year. Often agricultural contractors are the very last to get paid. The fellow who sells the fertiliser gets paid first. He gets paid before the contractor. There is an obligation on the Minister to protect food production from global shocks and to enhance food security. Why was the price of agri-diesel not meaningfully reduced in the first funding tranche? That points to the fact that the Government's eye was off the ball and that agri-diesel was an afterthought. Why was that the case? Why was it left until after the Easter break when men were really fighting for their livelihoods and those of their families? There are also questions about how this rebate scheme is going to work. Has the Minister a definition of what a contractor is?”
“I thank the Minister for coming to the House today. I am deeply invested in this issue. I agree with the Sinn Féin Senators who said that what agricultural contractors want to see are reductions at the pump. I understand it when the Minister says that cannot happen but that is how they see it working properly. I know a number of lads, agricultural contractors, who have gone out of business in the last year. At the recent protests there were echoes of 2008 when many agricultural contractors went to the wall. There was huge fear among those contractors who lived through that period. They definitely do not want to go through a similar situation again. As we all know, the margins for these contractors are small. Their outgoings are huge and the leasing of machinery is huge.”
“Does the Minister of State see why schools and parents see this proposal as an attempt at overcrowding? That is just another word for it. The Department has been piling more onto teachers and school communities particularly those waiting five to ten years for additional classroom space.”
“I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive reply, which does address some of my concerns. If the ratio of teachers and SNAs to students is going to stay consistent, that is good but it is reasonable for people to assume that this is a move to increase students in ASD classrooms when the Department is not progressing planning and extensions for school accommodation and new builds. I mentioned St. Aidan's, but Bailieborough Community School is in the same position. It is six years out from an extension being announced but is stuck at design stage 2b just like the other school mentioned. It is beyond a joke that Bailieborough, Kingscourt, Virginia and Cavan, all approved projects, are gathering dust. Teachers and principals are right to feel overlooked.”
“Is it not a major failing that schools and parents feel the Department is totally disconnected from what is going on in schools at the moment?”
“What is more ludicrous is that when the school applied for an additional ASD room, the request was denied, but since then it has been asked by the Department to create a second ASD room. How can the Department explain or justify the rationale for refusing additional accommodation only to turn around and ask schools to magically create another classroom? Instead of progressing extensions and increasing staff allocations, the Department's approach seems to consist of sending letters to schools telling them to make space where there is none. Teachers and SNAs are finding themselves in impossible situations. These inclusion classes are, in my opinion, nothing more than a clear attempt to sugar-coat increased class sizes.”
“They are doing more with less. Is the Department asking them to double classroom sizes? Is that what is happening at the minute? I was surprised that there would be no additional funding for classroom extensions or staff. This is not an existing proposal. It is just the Department window dressing. My office spoke to the principal of St. Aidan's school in Cootehill, County Cavan. The school has been waiting five years for an extension and only got confirmation that the stage 2B report was completed about two months ago. St. Aidan's agreed to adapt one of its mainstream classrooms to create an ASD room. In the process, it lost vital space needed for the mainstream school students.”
“The reality is that two SNAs are not enough to deal with six students going between an inclusive class and various mainstream practical classes in schools, especially if autistic students are allowed to choose their subjects in the same way as mainstream students do. Will the Minister of State provide clarity on this? If the Department believes these inclusion classes are the best approach, then why is it not being used in schools across the country as is? My gut, and we should all listen to our guts, tells me that after the recent SNA debacle, the Department is now worried about the staff capacity to open new autism spectrum disorder, ASD, classes and is framing this as an exciting launch instead of acknowledging the reality that it is doubling up classrooms. Teachers and SNAs are already struggling with burnout and increased workload.”
“I, too, welcome our distinguished guests from Cavan, which is a great county. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today. I was concerned last week when I saw the proposed launch of the special inclusive classes. When we get into the detail of what this will entail, it really feels like the Department is trying to give classroom overcrowding a new name. These special inclusion classes will see autism classes double in size. The class will go from having six students to 12, with no increase in staff or classroom allocations. If it is considered best practice to have one teacher and two SNAs per six children, then how is this proposal not simply a failure to meet those standards?”
“I cannot tell them to get on the SEAI website and apply for solar panels when they cannot even afford milk and butter. The disconnect is huge. I ask the Minister for housing to reverse his decision and recognise that for many people, turf is their only option when it comes to heating their homes.”
“This has had a horrific impact on the local people who relied on that turf as their main source of heating. They are the people who did not accept the once-off payment to allow rewetting because they would not walk away from their right to cut turf. The Government has said that these schemes are voluntary but families are being forcibly stopped from using turf. This country is importing peat from Egypt while telling Irish families that they cannot access the land they have used for generations. It is an absolute scandal that a Minister would seek this injunction knowing the harm it would do to families and that it would cut off their access to fuel. Most of them are elderly people. One in seven homes are in arrears with energy bills. Families have contacted me who are in dire situations and who rely on charities to buy groceries.”
“A recent report has shown that a 1,000-litre tank of oil now costs €1,700 to fill. That is almost double the price of €900 in February and that is the highest on record. Older people and those on the State pension in particular, who are on €288 per a week, cannot afford to absorb that kind of rising cost. The fuel protests were not just about fuel. They were a cry for help from the Irish taxpayers who are tired of seeing their hard-earned money handed over, only to be squandered while they struggle to stay afloat. What did the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage choose to do in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, while people were struggling to pay for fuel and groceries? He went to the High Court to get an injunction against people cutting turf in Galway.”
“These are men who slept in their tractors not for the hell of it but because they are losing their jobs and businesses. I do not want to hear the Government talk about keeping our young people here because all those lads will be out of a job and will go to Australia and Canada like three of my four sons had to in 2008. They are agricultural contractors in Canada. We are losing good people because our Government does not understand what they are trying to tell it.”
“Not one of them would have been on O'Connell Street if they had the choice of being in a field. That is the truth. I thought to myself these are people I know and who my kids were reared with. They were reared in my kitchen. Fellows were pulled off tractors who have been in fields driving tractors since they were seven years of age. They were up to try to be listened to. My neighbour was on the radio on "Liveline" yesterday. It would do everyone good to listen to him. He pulled the pin on his business and spoke on the radio about how he cried leaving Dublin, escorted like he was some kind of a criminal. The young lads who were there never caused a problem in their lives. They were trying to give their message and they were treated like criminals.”
“How can we have confidence in a Government that does not have the confidence in its ability to engage with its own people without the threat of force? Before I came into the Chamber today, I was in my office listening to the contributions by TDs in the Dáil. They were talking about people delayed for three or four hours in traffic. Those people were merely inconvenienced. The people who were protesting were fighting for their livelihoods, for their ability to survive and to keep their businesses afloat. I went to Dublin on Wednesday after listening to "The Tonight Show" on Virgin Media and I thought, "What kinds of thugs are they talking about?" When I went up to Dublin, I got an awful shock - I knew every one of them. I knew every one of them from Cavan, from Monaghan, from Kells and from Meath.”
“I, too, will talk about the fuel protests. I welcome the comments by Senators O'Donovan and Byrne. I commend the people right across the country who stood up last week and said that they just cannot do it any more. I was in Dublin and Cavan and all the people I spoke to were hard-working, honest and decent people fighting to save their livelihoods and their families' incomes. People were rightly shocked at the Government's decision to deploy the Defence Forces. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Ministers chose not to engage with people to hear them out before jumping to send the Army against their own people. Gardaí had to clear up a mess created by the arrogance of a Government that was not listening.”
“At a time of global instability, we need to use our position of neutrality to help broker peace. If there is pressure coming from other member states, the Government needs to be clear that we will not engage in military conflict. As de Valera once said, "in a world at war, each set of belligerents is over ready to regard those who are not with them as against them". There are members of the Government who are deeply uncomfortable about the removal of the triple lock. I ask them to use their position to fight for what the people want.”
“The Government is deliberately misleading people by saying that decisions to deploy Irish peacekeepers are being made by Russia and America. This is factually incorrect. The truth is that the Government does not want to let down its buddies in the EU Commission, so it is constantly sending out the message that our hands are tied by the triple lock. We had a MEP from Clare in here a month ago. He stated that Europe does not care whether Ireland keeps its neutrality or not. Let us be clear. The triple lock was not imposed on Ireland. It was chosen by the Irish people. I ask that the Government listens to the people. Why is it pushing to have us aligned in an EU military bloc? We do not want our male and female peacekeepers to be sent off to fight on foreign battlefields where they have no business being.”
“As Easter approaches, it is an apt time to remind the House and the Government of how much the people of the Ireland think of our neutrality and the triple lock. The triple lock was introduced in 2001 after the defeat of the referendum on the Nice treaty. When the referendum was defeated, the Government of the day noted that the one main public concern was that the treaty was about a potential erosion of Irish neutrality. Every opinion poll since has shown shows that the Irish people value our neutrality. The Government is hoping that the issue will disappear behind more topical headlines. While people struggle with grocery bills and fuel costs, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will quickly and quietly remove the triple lock. I commend Senator Tom Clonan who, in his own way, brings this issue up consistently every week.”
“It is actually not 3 cent because VAT, which is also a tax, is included in it. I welcome the measure for hauliers and coach drivers, amounting to 22 cent per litre. However, let me put that in context. A filling station out the road from Bailieborough was selling diesel for diesel engine road vehicles, DERVs, at €2.09 per litre on Sunday evening, but by Monday morning it had increased to €2.29. That was an increase of 20 cent in one day. That is the context of what people are dealing with. While the measures are welcome, they still do not go far enough.”
“There has been no movement on cutting carbon tax and it is clear to everyone that the Government is giving with one hand while taking back with the other. Carbon tax serves no purpose here because there are no non-carbon fuel alternatives for agricultural vehicles. I would love to hear the Government state what alternative is available to farmers. The Government can frame its initiative as a good news story but farmers are still paying 17 cent per litre in carbon tax. Fishers at harbours are weighing up whether they can afford to go out to fish. That there are no targeted measures for fishers or farmers is a shocking indictment of this Government’s priorities. Kerosene, another product used for home heating, mostly in rural Ireland, is subject to the tax cut of 3 cent per litre but that 3 cent is inclusive of VAT.”
“The surge in fuel prices is catastrophic and threatens to undermine rural communities and food production. The reality is that, if it costs more to produce food, it will cost more to put it on the table. Right now, the rising costs of agri-diesel, home heating oil and energy are squeezing farmers, fishers and rural communities from every direction. The price of agri-diesel has gone up by about 50 cent per litre in the past month. With the new measures, farmers are getting only 3 cent off the cost of a litre of diesel. Everything on a farm is run on agri-diesel and farmers are watching their margins disappear every time they have to fill the tank. Also, agri-contractors will have to charge more.”
“Surely, equality for all would mean treating everybody as equal. People are not being treated equally on this scheme. The scheme needs reform, and it needs to be means tested. Given that so many Ukrainian refugees were women with young children it would be careless to immediately pull financial support, but we need to determine if that support is actually needed. The Government has presented no logical argument against establishing a means test for the payment. I encourage the Minister to support the amendment and bring a sense of fairness to this scheme.”
“When the war in Ukraine broke out people came to Ireland in desperate need of safety and the Irish people responded with extraordinary kindness. They opened their homes to victims of war and that is something we should all be proud of. However, what started out as well-intentioned emergency response has created inequality between refugees and Irish citizens and a great little tax-free earner for potential landlords. We debated the topic of ARP in the Chamber last year and once again I support the amendment to have the payment means tested. The reality is that this scheme is not fair. As of May 2025, over 26,000 Ukrainians benefitting from temporary protection were in employment. It is not fair for working people who are struggling to save for a home and who are locked out of the rental market.”
“Interaction with a garda could be the difference between life and death for a woman suffering abuse at the hands of her partner. There also needs to be an increase in mandatory minimum sentencing for serious cases of assault as well as a focus on early intervention. As parents, we need to speak to our sons. The incidence of domestic violence is now an epidemic. If this problem goes unaddressed then we risk the lives of more and more women. I ask that the Leader arrange statements in this House on this issue.”
“Women are constantly warned to take precautions, to be on their guard and not to walk home alone, but this woman was brutally assaulted in the middle of the day as bystanders watched on. Another woman, 23-year-old Kelly Lynch, was found in the Ulster Canal in Monaghan. Despite having 93 injuries, her death was ruled as not suspicious. She was failed by officials on both sides of the Border. Her mother had to set up a GoFundMe page to fund a private investigation. A grieving mother was forced to rely on the goodwill of others simply to find out what happened to her own child. I cannot imagine the pain of grieving your child while having to fight to simply find out what happened to them. When are we going to say enough is enough? We need proper training for gardaí on how to spot and deal with domestic violence.”
“If we take a look at the headlines and stories over the past week, it is clear that this is no country for women. Gender-based violence is rising, and since 2020 there have been 65 women violently murdered across this country. We think of Natalie McNally, a young, pregnant woman murdered in her own home just days before Christmas. Her murderer was convicted of her murder on Monday. Her family is still grieving the loss of Natalie and her unborn child. Last week in Derry, we saw the murder of a young mother in her 20s. Amy Doherty was described by her family as bubbly, with a fun-loving spirit that lifted the hearts of those around her. Another young mother was violently beaten on the road in broad daylight in Tipperary this weekend.”
“The Government is presiding over children being housed in private, for-profit accommodation without any adequate safeguards in place for them. I ask the Government to support this amendment and indicate its commitment to protecting children who come into the State unaccompanied and who deserve the highest standards of care and safety.”
“There have been 14 legal cases taken against the State in the past four years where age assessment was a central issue. The situation has been complicated by confusion over which agency is actually responsible for confirming whether someone presenting as an unaccompanied minor is under 18. Tusla has clarified that it does not carry out statutory age assessments. Its role is limited to determining whether someone referred to it qualifies for services under the Child Care Act. Meanwhile, the International Protection Office is in fact the body responsible for determining an applicant's age for the purposes of the international protection system. If the Minister of State looks at the reception conditions directive, we are not even close to meeting those guidelines.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here. I support Senator Keogan’s amendments and I thank her for bringing them forward. Amendments Nos. 16, 380, and 381 are reasonable asks. It is easy to push this debate into the political sparring field of left or right but if we do not have the facilities to provide adequate accommodation, it is nothing other than common sense to limit the numbers of asylum seekers. One area where this becomes particularly important is child protection. Under the EU reception conditions directive, minors seeking protection should be accommodated separately from unrelated adults. In theory, that safeguard is clear. In practice, however, the State has struggled with the fundamental issue of age verification.”
“With 60% of the price of fuel being tax, the Government cannot pretend that its hands are tied here. Right now families are being forced to dig deeper into their pockets and simply suck it up. We do not need platitudes sympathising with people's struggles. We need tangible help for people and we need the Government to cut the taxes on fuel.”
“Recently, we heard a Government representative on the radio saying that people are confused about the increase in carbon tax and that petrol and diesel are not going up in May, only home heating oil. What he failed to mention is that the carbon tax is set to increase every single year. While it might not hit petrol and diesel this month, people can expect prices to rise again later this year, again next year, and the year after that. Fuel is not a luxury; it is a staple. People need it to get to work, to bring their children to school and to run their businesses. Aontú was the only party to vote against carbon taxes because we knew this policy would pile further pressure on people who are already struggling. It was a punitive tax and a punishment tax.”
“I raise the issue of the fuel crisis that is affecting everyone. We only have to look at community Facebook pages to see it. People are posting every day asking where the cheapest petrol or diesel is. It is not because they want a bargain: they are trying to stretch their wages just that little bit further every single day. They are searching for fuel that is a few cent cheaper, hoping it will make the difference between getting through the week or falling behind on their bills. A haulier rang me on Monday and said, "Sarah, no man can stick this." He is right. When fuel prices rise, everything else rises with it. Hauliers have no choice but to pass those costs on to retailers and the retailer has no choice but to pass those on to the customers. In the end it is ordinary families who pay the price as per usual.”
“The Government did not put the adoption of the pact to the people and it has decided that we will allow the EU to make decisions for us. We need to understand the repercussions of the Government's unilateral decision to sign up to the migration pact.”
“However, it is worth asking whether voters were ever explicitly told that immigration policy would increasingly be shaped by EU level mechanisms, rather than domestic decision-making. If the public is to have confidence in the system, it must be clear who holds authority and where accountability lies. That is why the amendments proposing greater transparency are important. In particular, the proposal for an annual report outlining the extent to which Ireland's international protection system remains under domestic control is a sensible and measured step. Such a report would clarify which aspects of policy are determined by the Irish Government and which arise from EU obligations. When it becomes harder and harder for people to find housing or get their child into a school, I would like it to be clear where the responsibility lies.”
“The issue of sovereignty in immigration policy should not be seen as an abstract constitutional debate. It is about whether the Irish State retains control over decisions that impact our housing supply, school places and community cohesion. I remain concerned that through the EU migration pact, we have effectively transferred significant elements of decision-making authority to Brussels. While European co-operation has a role to play, the practical effect appears to be that Ireland has reduced autonomy in determining how its immigration system operates. Governments often respond to these concerns by arguing that they received a democratic mandate from the people.”
“People are paying through the nose for tax on their cars that will not pass the NCT. They are paying for tolls, fuel costs are rising and, on top of that, the roads are disintegrating. Our roads are like those in developing countries rather than those of a developed country. Older people have put aside a little bit every week to save for fuel in their tank and are terrified that their hard-earned savings will not cover a full tank of fuel. The worst part is that the Government has control. In fact, for every litre of diesel put into a car, the Government takes about 60% of the cost in tax. It is planning an increase in taxes on home heating oil in May. The Government needs to put its money where its mouth is and cut carbon taxes.”
“-----increase in funding. I have submitted Commencement debates with him and he has never come to the House for one. I checked his record and found he has not come to the House for any Commencement debates since the general election in 2024. We need to send out an SOS for the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, because if one looks at the Dáil and Seanad records we seldom see him here. Maybe the cost of fuel is so high that he cannot drive to Leinster House or perhaps he has become stuck in a pothole. I feel there is zero respect for councillors who have prepared factual evidence-based presentations on roads. Every Senator should push for statements on roads because we need to get a face-to-face meeting with the Minister to ask what is going on. People could cry going to work on our roads. We are double taxed on absolutely everything.”
“Last Monday, there was a meeting with councillors in Cavan about roads funding. Our councillors are disillusioned, distraught and feel they wasted their time coming to Leinster House to give detailed presentations on road deterioration to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. During the previous Government, the Greens were blamed for everything. The Minister, Eamon Ryan, was criticised for prioritising bike lanes and greenways, yet it seems the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will continue on the same path. How can we justify hundreds of millions being spent on greenways when our basic road infrastructure is collapsing? We have had enough. The Minister lied to Fianna Fáil councillors when he said there would be a funding announcement in December. He lied again when he said there would be a substantial-----”
“Many Members would be surprised to learn that throughout Europe, more than one person dies of sepsis every minute. That is a real threat that is happening at the minute to European citizens. It is not a perceived threat. It is the threat that is happening. The upcoming EU Presidency is an opportunity for Ireland to bring awareness to this life-threatening disease. We must promote greater public awareness, strengthen early detection protocols and support better infection prevention strategies across Europe. Early detection of sepsis is key in preventing loss of life. That should be considered in the policy documents.”
“Senator Lynch focused on CAP. To European citizens, particularly Irish citizens, CAP and the Common Fisheries Policy are two issues we need to focus on for our citizens. Energy is another issue. Energy costs are huge. In putting sanctions on Russian oil, the European Union and Ireland actually ended up hurting their own citizens and their own industries. Other issues we need to focus on are our freedoms and Irish unity. It will be a missed opportunity if we do not focus a good part of this on peace and Irish unity. I will focus on health a little bit because it is something other people did not bring up. The Presidency provides Ireland with an opportunity to highlight and provide a platform for a critical health emergency that profoundly affects the lives of EU citizens. The figures on this are quite startling.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in today. I welcome the opportunity to make a statement on Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union. I listened to the Minister of State's opening address and the plans for the EU Presidency. It was heavily focused on defence strategy, assistance for EU states, Ukraine, maritime security and hybrid threats. Of course, all of those things are important. They are typical of what politicians and policymakers want to focus on. However, I am going to focus on what EU citizens want. The original pillars are what the European citizens really want and trade is one of those. With the global economy, European trade has suffered from the effects of bigger trading countries such as India and China. We need to look at that again and be more focused on European industry and trade.”
“Women who may want to stay at home to mind their children cannot do so because our tax system favours two-income households. Carers, who are mainly women, still wait for the means test for carer's allowance to be cut. If we want International Women's Day to mean anything, we need policies and legislation that are tailored with the needs of women and children in mind.”
“They often do it on top of work and in many cases, they take a financial hit rather than see their family member go without care. Women account for 51% of the population but when we look at our healthcare, our tax system and even our social protection system, it does not feel like we are well represented. We joke about women of a certain age sitting at the window because they have hot flushes. Many of us do not talk about menopause openly or even know we can go to our GP for help. Women with endometriosis have gone from doctor to doctor being prescribed anti-inflammatories and told their cramps are normal. It is not normal to be in so much pain that you cannot get out of bed or you pass out on the bathroom floor. Tax individualisation has had the worst impact on families.”
“I want to mark International Women's Day by recognising the fantastic women across the country, in particular our mothers. The Irish mammy is always considered a formidable figure and we all have memories of our mothers and grandmothers, who spent their lives rearing families, taking care of everything in the home and not sitting down until everybody was happy and looked after. The value of a stay-at-home mother, if it was salaried, is around €57,000 per year but we all know that does not include the late nights, being up with sick babies or sleepless nights until one's child gets home safe from a night out. The majority of carers in this country and worldwide are women - daughters, sisters and nieces - who do not hesitate to take on the responsibility of caring for their loved ones.”
“Cutting the VAT rate on HVO would be an easy way to support farmers who would make the switch if it was more viable financially to do so.”
“HVO is subject to a VAT rate of 23%, while agri-diesel or low-sulphur gas oil attract a rate of 13.5%. The higher rate is punitive and does nothing to incentivise farmers to use HVO. In fact, it actively pushes farmers back towards fossil fuels. When HVO is used off-road in agricultural machinery, the road transport fuel obligation scheme applies in an 80:20 rule, leaving a price gap of over 20 cent more per litre on the marked gas oil. In addition, HVO is already about 8 cent per litre more expensive to produce and hauliers supplying the agricultural sector cannot access the 7 cent diesel rebate scheme credit. If the Government wants to meet climate targets and avoid massive fines, it should be trying to implement practical measures.”