Financial Resolution No. 1: Mineral Oil Tax
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-14
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Martin Heydon (FG), Kildare South

Deputy Collins talked about frustration. Yesterday on "Morning Ireland" he spoke to farmers at a volatile time. I absolutely accept how angry people have been and how many people have felt the challenge of the energy shock. After a volatile week when our country has been in a bad place, we all have responsibility. Everyone in this House has a mandate and was elected to help people. That is what we are here for. I do not question the mandate at all, but I do question why someone, after such a volatile weekend when a serious package had been agreed by the Cabinet on the Sunday evening, which Deputy Collins was well aware of, would go on "Morning Ireland" on Monday morning and try to tell people it is only 2.4 cent per litre on green diesel and try to keep the protest going and to make people who are upset and hurting more upset and hurting. That does not say compassion to me.
No one in this House has a monopoly on compassion. The Opposition talks about ordinary people as though we do not. It is clear what they are doing. The use of language matters, as a colleague said earlier.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-14