Deputy Joe McHugh, T.D., welcomes further development and consideration regarding the derogation of A5 Road from the UK HGV Road User Levy.
Commenting on the development, Deputy Joe McHugh, T.D. “This new development that the the UK Government are reviewing the possibility of excluding a number of key roads in Northern Ireland from the UK HGV Levy, including the A5 road, is a very welcomed and positive development.
“I have been working closely and tirelessly with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar, to address the real and serious challenges for hauliers and businesses for whom it is a necessity to use roads in the North.
“We have been consistently highlighting awareness with our UK and Northern Ireland counterparts to review this levy in the context of Irish drivers, particularly those from Donegal who travel on these routes every day.
“I have been engaging with all relevant groups regarding this issue. Last week I attended a public meeting with Donegal County Councillor Noel McBride, which was addressed by the Irish Road Hauliers Association, local representatives and businesses.
“There was a resounding argument presented as to why this levy will not only be unfair to those businesses who are forced to use these roads on a regular basis, but also anti competitive as it increases operating costs for those businesses, an increase that most other drivers in Ireland won’t have to incur.
“Earlier this week, I was in Stormont meeting with our colleagues in the North and I again raised this issue with the First Minister, Peter Robinson, and Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness. I have formally written to both on this issue, highlighting the challenges this levy will impose.
“As Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and Co Chair of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly, I welcome comments made today in the Good Friday Committee by the Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello T.D., that he is anxious to ensure that this levy is not dealt with as an afterthought by the UK Government and his Department, in conjunction with Minister Varadkar’s Department, are focused on pushing for derogation to ensure this levy does not impact on cross-border trade.
“I have been consistently making the argument that this levy will hit Donegal businesses more than most and have been liaising with these business owners to get a deeper and fuller understanding of what the challenges are that they would face as a result of the levy. As part of this, I have arranged a meeting with Minister Varadkar and the Donegal Truckers so the Minister can hear from those on the ground who will be directly impacted.”
Minister Varadkar confirmed this week that, during a meeting he had with Stephen Hammond M.P., Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, on 20 February 2013, he again pressed the issue of exemption of Northern Ireland roads – “Clause 3 of the UK HGV Road User Levy Act 2013 allows the UK Secretary of State to vary the extent of the scheme by order. The UK has proposed to exempt approximately 7 miles of cross-border road between the Republic and Northern Ireland. This would allow all operators to use these stretches of road without paying the levy, as it would be a breach of EU legislation to grant an exemption to just one country. The UK Government has been quite clear that they are not open to exempting all Northern Ireland roads from the levy. In this context, at the meeting with Minister Hammond, I proposed that an exemption be given for the A5 as it is often used by operators starting a journey in the Republic and transiting Northern Ireland to deliver goods to another location in the republic, and it was agreed that further consideration would be given to this proposal.”
