It is up to the haulage industry to put forward a detailed proposal for State supports to cover losses following the closure of Holyhead Port, Minister for State at the Department of Transport James Lawless has said.
Road hauliers warned the port closure will see haulage companies going to the wall by the end of next month, with up to €2 billion worth of goods waiting to ship on both sides of the Irish Sea now stuck.
Many Christmas deliveries coming through the UK may not arrive in time and the port will be closed until at least 15 January following the damage from Storm Darragh.
"I've put it back to the industry, and I’ve invited them to come to us with figures. That hasn’t happened so far," said Mr Lawless on RTÉ’s News at One.
"I’ve said to them to talk to us about the detail, make their proposal to us and once a proposal comes in, we can examine it.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
"We haven’t got a proposal yet. We’ve got a general ask for support, and I’m very keen to do all we can to make sure the industry is supported," he said.
President of the Irish Road Haulage Association Ger Hyland described the closures at Holyhead Port as "horrendous" for the industry, adding that there really was no plan in place for Holyhead going down.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said: "There was a scramble then to get goods from Holyhead Port that were sitting on the quay for shipment to Ireland and goods that were sitting on the quay in Dublin Port to go to Holyhead.
"So, there was a scramble to get them to other ports throughout the UK and to get them shipped to Ireland."
There was an added cost as a result of the diversions, Mr Hyland added.
He said many Christmas packages, particularly non-EU packages travelling from the UK, will not reach their destinations on time.
"We have people in offices, we have people in trucks that have hardly seen home since this broke two weeks ago," he said.
Mr Hyland warned that unless support came from the Irish Government or the EU some companies would fail in a short space of time.
"We have to get financial aid to our shippers to weather this storm" and he said that a direct subsidy was needed, he said.
"98% of all goods, on all shelves in all shops are delivered by our industry... if our industry fails, this country fails."
Mr Hyland said if the political will was there, the industry could be helped, adding that Mr Lawless had been "extremely engaging" and he felt the will was there.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Mr Lawless warned that there was not going to be a one-size-fits-all solution.
"Any intervention would have to be very targeted. There was some suggestion of changing the levy on toll roads or reversing back various charges that apply across the board. I don't think that would be appropriate, because it’s not one-fix-fits-all," he said.
The minister said that the proposals would have to focus "on the losses experienced by this issue".
Call for clarity on reopening date
Meanwhile, public affairs lead with the Small Firms Association Jonathan McDade has said the closure of Holyhead Port could not have come at a worse time for its members.
Also speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said the retail, hospitality and building sectors had all been hit by the closure.
"Certain jobs haven't been completed, there have been some invoicing issues as a result of goods not having been delivered on time and that these sort of delays do incur various additional costs, various penalties as well.
"And in addition to that it also damages the reputation of certain small businesses who are not able to meet the demands of their customers and clients as a result of the closure in Holyhead."
Mr Hyland said the organisation failed to understand why the port was still closed following the storm.
"We feel that the UK government have not done enough to get Holyhead up and running again or to give us a steer as to when it is going to be up and running.
"When we come back after Christmas, we will be calling on the UK government, the Irish Government, anybody who can tell us definitively when Holyhead is going to be up and running.
"If it is going to be the middle of March, well then tell us it’s going to be the middle of March. If it is going to be May or June, tell us it is going to be May or June," he said.
