Thomas Byrne

We had to do it.

But this year it's 230 something million.

It would be a drop in the ocean if you wanted to sort of give fuel supports out of that.

We have, let's not forget, we have reduced diesel taxes quite significantly actually.

The price would be much higher, the market price is higher, but we're down near our mid-table now in terms of the taxation that we take from it because we've reduced it very, very significantly.

We've also extended the fuel allowance season as well to give people a bit of help in the immediate aftermath of this crisis.

But we cannot... No government can chop and change every couple of weeks in this.

I think we should wait for the budget and we should wait to see... But you did chop and change.

Well, because of the emergency circumstances that were there at the time, particularly in the cost of fuel.

So we did that.

Like, if we hadn't reduced...

It would be significantly higher now.

And that is a benefit that accrues to everybody across the country.

And there's a package there for farmers.

I mean, one of the arguments that the farmers had a month ago was that they didn't get the same as what the general public got.

So I think the government... Because there's lower tax on green diesel.

Exactly, yeah.

So the price is set internationally.

So what I would say is, I mean, look, as Minister of European Affairs, I'm talking to my colleagues around Europe.

This situation is playing out not just in Europe, but all across the world.