National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) Bill 2026: Second Stage Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-26 ============================================================ Joe Flaherty (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach At the outset, I want to call out many in the general public who continue to propagate this myth that there is price-gouging among filling stations across the country. These filling stations are in many instances the last bastion, the last retail outlet in many of our small towns and villages. Typically, a good filling station will get 6% margin on its fuel and typically will pay €40,000 to €70,000 prepaid before they get their delivery of fuel. These people are price-takers. They are given the price from their wholesaler and that is the price they have to run with. I saw one of these fuel watch group pages this morning with three different pictures of the same filling station in Longford. Each of them had three different prices for that filling station, whether they were modified or whatever I do not know. I bought fuel from that station this morning and it was not the price that they had. People have a responsibility. These businesses are employing our children and neighbours. They are providing a very good service to our local community and people need to be more sensible, especially those politicians who are making these scandalous remarks. The Government is under no illusion as to the challenges facing our people and country at this time. The Government has made a measured and calculated intervention to help some of our most challenged citizens and sectors. Is this the full and complete package of supports? No, but it is certainly an initial strike in the context of wider national and global financial challenges. We do not know how long this war will last but we do know that Iran has weaponised the issue of fuel. They see global strife and pain as their greatest weapon and they are going to weaponise it ruthlessly. This Government stood full-square behind the people of Ireland during Covid, again during the Ukrainian crisis and again during the cost-of-living crisis. Government is not about soundbites. It is not about popularity. That is probably why it will never suit Sinn Féin. Government is all about taking decisions that protect and support our citizens. Regularly, these decisions are unpopular but invariably, true nationalists and true republicans rally to the national cause and do what has to be done for this country. It was no surprise to us or the wider population that Sinn Féin was the only party to vote against this suite of supports in the Dáil last night. There was certainly no question of any of their TDs breaking ranks for fear of irking the higher command. Government is not for the faint-hearted. It is not for Sinn Féin. It is about the decisions that have to be taken in the context of the long-term outlook and the threat of inflation and so on. The measures taken to date will be kept under constant review. I am certain that there will be further interventions if and when they are deemed appropriate. A case in point is green diesel, which is used widely in agriculture. Many of the Sinn Féin supporters north of the Border have degrees in washing the green dye out of the diesel and illegally selling it as road diesel. It was certainly a lucrative sideline for them. Many in this House will remember poor Paul Quinn from Cullyhanna, who was ruthlessly beaten to death by one of these gangs. Every bone in his body was broken, so much so that his poor mother was unable to wrap his fingers around her rosary beads. I am very conscious that three weeks ago, green diesel cost 96 cent per litre and now it is trading at €1.63. In a few weeks, our farmers and contractors will commence the busy silage season. The agri-sector will surely need further significant support before then, if this war is to continue. Fianna Fáil Governments have faced similar crises and brought this country through them. Some 85 years ago we were severely impacted by the Second World War and indeed many of our sons lost their lives fighting the evils of fascism in what at that point was regarded as the most savage and destructive war of all. That war now pales in comparison to the current actions unfolding in Iran. During the Second World War, I remind the House that farmers were legally obliged to produce compulsory tillage. Householders were expected to come out and support the harvest. Every household had to manage through the week with a ration book. Every household was expected to till its garden or allotments and produce turf. Incidentally this week back then, a series of new orders and restrictions was announced that included restricting the availability of bread to just one meal in a restaurant. It also suggested that potatoes should be served three times a day in homes. The export of sausages was banned, with a crucial knock-on effect for the price of our pigs. They were also looking at the possible prohibition of private car use. Yet as a country and as a society, we got on with it. Probably in the most dastardly move of that time, they also announced that the strength of stout and beer was to be reduced by three degrees to save on wheat and barley. At the same time, the farming community, back in the teeth of the Second World War, had to deal with a foot and mouth outbreak. We did not panic then in the face of the challenge, the Fianna Fáil Government, and we certainly will not panic now. We worked with the people and we helped them through those challenges and this time will be no different. Fianna Fáil always delivers for its own people, not for benefit or reward but for the people of Ireland. We did it during the Second World War and we will certainly do it again. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-26/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:47+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-03-26