Government ministers today (Saturday, April 11) held a series of "constructive" meetings with representative groups from the transport, agriculture and fisheries sectors.

This comes as the government "moves close" to finalising a "significant support package" to address the ongoing crisis, a statement issued tonight said.

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State Seán Canney are "actively progressing plans" for a transport support scheme, with "detailed work now underway".

Representatives from the Irish Road Haulage Association, the Freight Transport Association of Ireland and the Coach Tourism and Transport Council of Ireland attended the meeting with ministers today and expressed their "full support for the proposed measures".

Agriculture

Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon, along with Ministers of State Timmy Dooley, Noel Grealish and Michael Healy-Rae, met with representative farm and fisheries organisations in both plenary and bilateral meetings over the last two days.

The agriculture ministers have "taken onboard their concerns as well as suggestions and ideas to ameliorate hardship of all their members".

All meetings "proved to be very constructive", the ministers said.

Minister Heydon along with his senior officials in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, are devising a temporary fuel support scheme to provide support for these critical sectors.

"The government recognises the urgency of providing solutions for these very impacted sectors," the statement issued tonight said.

"Ministers intend to conclude plans as swiftly as possible and will announce them shortly in addition to the €250 million already allocated to alleviate the burden on impacted sectors."