LAST UPDATE | 15 Dec 2024

JUNIOR MINISTER FOR Transport James Lawless and his Welsh counterpart, Ken Skates, are to meet this evening to help clear the trade backlog as work on repairing the Welsh port of Holyhead continues. 

Earlier, the government agreed to a temporary extension of legal driving hours for hauliers for the next two weeks, as the effects of the Holyhead port closure continue to be felt over the Christmas period.

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Lawless signed off on a derogation last night that has temporarily extended the maximum daily driving time will be extended to 11 hours a day for commercial truck drivers.

The new extended limit can not be reached more than twice a week.

The weekly driving time will be limited to 60 hours, up from 56 hours, and a fortnightly limit of 102 hours will apply, up from 90 hours.

The weekly rest period, which is typically 45 hours, has been reduced to 24 under the derogation. 

A spokesperson from the Department of Transport said the temporary driving hours extension will apply to all drivers of vehicles undertaking the transport of goods between the UK and Ireland and within Ireland “irrespective of their nationality”. 

The move to extend hours aims to help address major delays to freight and passenger travel through Holyhead Port following recent damage caused by Storm Darragh. The port remains closed, as repairs continue.

Both Ryan and Lawless will also have another meeting with logistics stakeholders tomorrow morning to address this issue, as well as separate talks with Irish Ferries and Stena Line Ferries, a spokesperson said.

Hundreds of thousands of parcels, which have been backlogged due to damage to the ferry port in Holyhead, are expected to be delivered to Ireland in time for Christmas following the relaxation of haulier driving hour laws.

An Post and online retailers have rerouted parcels to ports across the UK in a bid to get deliveries to Ireland.

In a statement today, An Post said that the temporary extension of haulier driver hours is a “welcome decision”, which they believe will support “all logistics companies to keep freight flowing”.

An Post added that all but 16,000 of the 500,000 outstanding parcels impacted by Storm Darragh have been received, and “these are now in transit to us”.

With reporting by Emma Hickey