The decision on the future of the temporary excise cuts to petrol and diesel will not be affected by the two looming byelections expected to be held shortly before the reductions are due to expire, Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary said.
The byelections in Galway West and Dublin Central are widely expected to happen on May 22nd.
That is just over a week before the excise cuts brought in as part of a package of supports aimed at easing soaring fuel costs caused by the war in Iran are due to end.
Calleary made his remarks as he spoke to reporters after Fianna Fáil chose its Galway West byelection candidate, Cllr Cillian Keane, at a selection convention on Sunday evening.
He was asked if the current plan for the excise cuts to expire on May 31st will affect Government parties’ chances in the two byelections.
In response, Calleary, who is Fianna Fáil’s director of elections in Galway West, indicated that the decision on whether or not the cuts will be continued will not be affected by the votes.
“The decision, no offence to Cillian, won’t be aligned to what’s happening in the byelection” but rather “it will be aligned with what’s happening nationally and internationally,” he said.
Calleary added: “We’ve always said we’ll put the best interests of the country first” and that the Government’s response to the energy crisis “has to be sustainable”.
There is a vacant Dáil seat in the Galway West constituency following the election of former independent TD Catherine Connolly as President last October.
Another byelection in Dublin Central was brought about after Fine Gael TD Paschal Donohoe resigned his seat to take a job at the World Bank, will take place in May.
Oranmore-based Keane (25) was first elected to Galway County Council in 2024 and was the youngest candidate in the Athenry-Oranmore local electoral area in the election that year.
He is a graduate of UCD with a degree in food and agribusiness management.
On his byelection run Keane he is “trying to offer a fresh perspective” and “a new level of energy and commitment in the constituency”.
Taoiseach and party leader Micheál Martin said Keane is “an experienced councillor and understands what Galway needs at a national level. He is young and dynamic with a great commitment to public service, he will make a difference.”
Sinn Féin TD Mairead Farrell topped the poll in Galway West in the 2024 general election.
The other sitting TDs are Noel Grealish, an independent who is a junior minister in the Department of Agriculture and John Connolly of Fianna Fáil. In that election, another Fianna Fáil candidate in the constituency, broadcaster Gráinne Seoige, was unsuccessful in her effort to secure a seat.
In terms of other byelection candidates Fine Gael has selected former TD and junior minister, Senator Seán Kyne as its candidate while Sinn Féin’s contender is trade unionist and former Galway city councillor Mark Lohan. Former Fianna Fáil member Noel Thomas is running in Galway West for Independent Ireland.
Thomas Welby, an Independent councillor and close ally of Grealish, will also be contesting the byelection. The convener of Connolly’s presidential campaign in Galway, university lecturer Sheila Garrity, will stand as an Independent.
The Labour Party has selected Cllr Helen Ogbu as its candidate while Social Democrats grass roots activist Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich will run for her party. Last week, the Mayor of Galway, independent councillor Mike Cubbard, announced his intention to contest the election saying his campaign would centre on a “Galway first” message.
The Green Party has chosen former councillor Niall Murphy as its candidate, Aontú’s candidate is Orla Nugent, a primary schoolteacher and Denman Rooke is running for People Before Profit.