Fuel excise cuts should be made permanent, Tóibín says

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín says temporary fuel-price cuts should become permanent, arguing that fuel is a stable necessity rather than a luxury. He also said the government must stop wasting taxpayers’ money.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, the Meath West TD said around half a million people in the country were in energy arrears. He claimed the government was overspending by between €4 billion and €5 billion a year, and said savings could be found by tackling that waste.

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There’s a complete lack of accountability in that sector.

Tóibín pointed to an estimated €1.6 billion overspend on capital infrastructure last year. “There’s a complete lack of accountability in that sector,” he said. “There’s an enormous amount of waste.” He also cited health spending, saying the overspend so far this year stood at about €500 million.

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There’s an enormous amount of waste.

He said a recruitment embargo for administrative staff in the health service could save €250 million a year. Tóibín also called for an additional €2.5 billion in defence spending, arguing that the money could come from government overspending. He said the Defence Forces had deteriorated since Fine Gael entered government in 2011.

Tóibín welcomed planned reforms requiring immigrants seeking citizenship to demonstrate proficiency in English or Irish, a position he has advocated. He added that a basic understanding of Irish would be desirable.

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The government is incinerating taxpayers’ money at a rate in those terms.