Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Transport, Deputy Robert Troy, has criticised the Government for failing to take action in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal.
Deputy Troy made the comments following an admission made by Volkswagen Global that they deliberately misled their customers in the United States of America. The company has been ordered to pay $4.3bn in fines as a result of supplying defective cars there.
Deputy Troy said: “It is absolutely extraordinary that the Government is yet to formally intervene in this scandal on behalf of the Volkswagen customers based in Ireland,” continuing on to express his disapproval at the Government, wondering how it has not at least inquired into how Volkswagen car owners have been deliberately misled by the company.
Referring to the more than 125,000 owners of affected Volkswagens in Ireland, Deputy Troy said that “Volkswagen lied to customers, regulators, governments and perpetrated a deeply cynical fraud”. He added that they knowingly designed and manufactured cars with higher emissions which have damaged our climate and air, declaring it “an unprecedented scandal” which needs to be investigated.
“Ireland is the only country that has done nothing to assist those who were deceived by Volkswagen,” he said. “We are still waiting for action from the Government 16 months on from when the scandal first came to light. It’s clear the Government just isn’t interested in dealing with this issue.”
The Fianna Fáil spokesperson called upon Minister for Transport Shane Ross asking why he and his Fine Gael colleagues have abandoned Irish customers, and also calling for the Government to “get a grip on the issue before it’s too late” and ensure that this will not happen again with other car companies.
