Overview
- The coalition kept Dáil confidence Tuesday by 92–78 after junior minister Michael Healy-Rae resigned during the debate and voted against it.
- Healy-Rae’s exit removes a supportive independent from the government’s tally and highlights pressure on a majority that depends on non-party TDs.
- Fuel convoys and blockades that began April 7 targeted ports, Dublin roads and the Whitegate refinery, drying out hundreds of forecourts before Gardaí, with Defence Forces support, cleared sites over the weekend.
- The government’s new €505 million package, announced Sunday on top of €250 million earlier, cuts petrol and diesel excise by 10c per litre to end-July, trims green diesel by 2.4c, delays carbon-tax rises, and provides direct aid to hauliers, bus operators, farmers and fishers.
- Officials link the price spike to the US-Israel war on Iran and disruption at the Strait of Hormuz, while opposition parties say the response came too late and are pressing for an election.