Peadar Tóibín
Question:155. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the amount that has been paid out to date to hauliers under the extended diesel rebate scheme. [39405/26]
View answerTuesday, 26 May 2026
Questions (155)
Written answers
The Diesel Rebate Scheme is a State aid which provides qualifying road haulage and passenger transport operators with a partial repayment of Mineral Oil Tax paid on auto-diesel.
The scheme operates in accordance with the EU’s Energy Tax Directive, and the General Block Exemption Regulation on State aid. In 2025, almost €40 million was paid out under the scheme, providing targeted support to the road haulage and passenger transport sectors.
The DRS provides a targeted level of support to operators such as bus drivers, who may drop your children to school; to food delivery trucks, which keep our shelves stocked; to important and essential parts to Irish businesses’ supply chains, which means business can continue with a cushioned impact.
As such, the DRS has far wider impacts than just on these operators, it indirectly benefits households and businesses.
To qualify for the scheme, road haulage and passenger transport operators must have an appropriate road transport licence and be tax compliant. The auto-diesel must be used in qualifying vehicles in the course of the transport operator’s business. In addition, the auto-diesel must have been purchased with tax paid in the State, by means of a Revenue approved fuel card provider, or in bulk for delivery to the transport operator’s business premises.
The Diesel Rebate Scheme rate of repayment is linked to the average retail price of auto-diesel, based on data from the Central Statistics Office. Since the end of 2021, a 7.5 cents maximum level of rebate has applied to all claims.
In response to the current fuel crisis, I recently increased the repayment cap from 7.5 cents per litre to 12 cents per litre. This enhanced or extended repayment rate applies to claims covering fuel purchased between 1 January to 30 June this year.
The Diesel Rebate Scheme, as prescribed in the Mineral Oil Tax Regulations 2012, operates on a quarterly repayment basis with repayment claims available for submission to Revenue quarterly in arrears. On 1 April 2026 Revenue opened the claim period for the enhanced rate under the rebate scheme for Quarter 1.
In the period from 1 April to 20 May 2026,1180 claims have been submitted to the value of €8.3m in respect of Q1 2026. This compares with 820 claims value €4m which were received for Q1 in the same filing period in 2025.
I am advised by Revenue that it is currently processing these claims and has, between 1 April 2026 and 20 May 2026, refunded 695 of those 1180 claims to the value of €4.5m under the enhanced rebate scheme.
To help meet the challenges posed by increased fuel costs arising from the war in the Middle East, the new Road Transporters Support Scheme (RTSS) also provides significant financial support to licenced hauliers, the own account sector, and commercial coach operators. The cost of these supports to the transport and road haulage sector is estimated at €40 million per month.
In total, support measures brought in by this Government are estimated to cost in excess of €750 million.