Cuts to excise duty on fuel are “extremely likely” to be maintained until Budget 2027, despite an easing of tensions in the Gulf region, Ministers believe.
The Government will decide before the end of the month whether or not to extend the reductions on petrol and diesel, which have brought the price of a litre down at the pump by 27 and 32 cent respectively.
The cuts are due to expire at the end of July and the Dáil would have to vote on any decision to extend them, with the House due to rise in the middle of next month.
Speaking in Dublin on Tuesday, Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said the Government did not want to see a “big upward increase” in energy or oil prices that could have an impact on consumers and businesses.
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“We’ll assess the interim period between the end of July and the budget on what the appropriate decision is in the next week or two,” he said.
He added that the Government was “very aware of the concerns and the need to ensure that there isn’t any major increase in prices affecting people between the end of July and the budget”.
One Cabinet source said they believed it was likely that there would be a full or partial extension of the excise cuts and that it was highly unlikely the previous situation would be returned to at the end of July.
A second senior Minister said an extension of the cuts was “extremely unlikely”. Other senior sources were more guarded, merely saying a decision had not yet been made.
Amid fears that fuel protesters could target the running of events around the State’s upcoming presidency of the council of the European Union, Chambers said that “no protester should seek to threaten or undermine critical infrastructure across the State. The threat of disruption is wrong and people need to respect the wider apparatus of the State.”
Meanwhile, the Cabinet agreed on Tuesday to transfer the responsibility for the redevelopment of the GPO from the Department of Communications to the Office of Public Works and to start a public consultation costing up to €300,000 on the future of the site.
It also decided to open up the complex to “meanwhile use” during the consultation period, which could mean cultural and community activities going on within the GPO, as well as its use for State agencies as office space.
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Chambers rejected the suggestion that decision-making at the project was a commercial matter, saying it was “being driven in the public interest”.
“We want people to get involved, be included and to shape the future of the GPO. The mandate and focus here isn’t a commercial one; it’s very much State-led and shaped community and people who understand the huge historical significance of the GPO, and that will inform our investment plan,” he said.
Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Kevin Boxer Moran, said the decision taken at Cabinet was a “great day for Dublin, a great day for the country. This is a huge investment for the people ... Whatever we do here, we want to make sure the community is totally involved.”
