I would also say that other Members of the House want to hear the speech. I will provide a copy of it as soon as I can. Out of respect to all Deputies here, let us hear each other and listen. I will set out the provisions of the Bill, which I am in the middle of doing, and I ask for the right to finish that process. Deputies will have the speech as soon as we can deliver it to them. The joint committee will be informed by the latest projections and inventories prepared by the EPA and by the annual report of the Cli…

I would now like to address briefly my intention to bring forward certain amendments to this Bill on Committee Stage to give effect to programme for Government commitments. The Government has set a clear pathway towards less reliance on fossil fuels across every sector of our society. It specifically contains a commitment to end the issuing of new licences for the exploration and extraction of gas on the same basis as the decision taken in 2019 by the previous Government relating to oil exploration and extraction. …

It is expected that the number of authorisations will decline further as authorisations continue to expire or are relinquished, with no new authorisations for new exploration and extraction replacing them. I received Government approval on 2 February 2021 to prepare legislation to give statutory effect to this prohibition, which will be done through this Bill. A statutory ban will send another clear message to industry and the world that Ireland is moving away from oil and natural gas exploration and extraction.

I have also received Government approval to draft amendments to the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Act 1954 for inclusion in this Bill. Acknowledging the significant level of investment required by ESB group in its business, in particular in electricity network assets and renewable generation assets, these new heads will increase the statutory borrowing limit of the ESB from its current level of €6 billion to €12 billion. This will support the ESB group's efforts to decarbonise the energy sector in Ireland and to…

I am committed to achieving substantial carbon abatement across Ireland's society and economy, or helping our society to do that, and securing an efficient and low emission transport system. The programme for Government climate action commitments represent an important step up in ambition, seeking to fundamentally change the nature of transport in Ireland and achieve a 7% average annual emissions reduction to 2030. Targets and measures set out in the existing 2019 climate action plan will not be sufficient to meet …

Deputy O'Rourke is absolutely right to focus on Connecting Ireland as a key element in our transport plans. To achieve the level of emissions reductions will involve everywhere and every place matters. Connecting Ireland is critical to achieve the national planning framework objective of better balanced regional development. The programme for Government committed to significant improvements in rural bus connectivity and public transport. People do not have the level of services and access to public transport they d…

I should have said that we will discuss this on Committee Stage. The joint committee did very useful and good work in its assessment of the climate Bill at the pre-legislative scrutiny stage. I was very aware of those hearings yesterday which were very useful and interesting. I look forward to reading the committee's report on transport because to my mind it is the most challenging issue. In the next four to five months, I will seek to work on a collaborative basis with all Oireachtas parties on how we draft this p…

I am in an awkward position because the Leas-Cheann Comhairle is much more knowledgeable and has seen the response, but I am reluctant for other Deputies not to have that information. I will happily come back to answer the Deputy's questions in the supplementary reply, if she does not mind me providing the baseline information which will inform other Deputies in the same way as the Deputy is informed. I share with Deputy Connolly the wish to see much improved active travel and public transport infrastructure and se…

The Galway transport strategy set outs three potential locations: one on the west side of the city on the Bearna-Rahoon corridor, and two on the east side on the Dublin Road corridor and on the Claregalway N17 corridor. It also suggests there may be opportunities for small-scale developments on the Moycullen and Headford corridors. The strategy notes that existing rail-based park-and-ride facilities at Oranmore could be used but that its current capacity of 140 spaces is sufficient for the moment. To answer the Dep…

I agree about the merits of a feasibility study for light rail in Galway. We will commission and deliver that. It is best done within the review of the Galway transport strategy which is due next year. It would also be done then at a time when, all going well, we will know whether we have got the planning permission through for the cross-link route. That would be one obvious route which we could upgrade to the light rail options that a number of people in Galway are now presenting as having real potential. To deliv…

I agree with the Deputy. I recognise that Covid-19 has had a profound impact on small businesses across the country, with the public transport sector being especially affected as public health restrictions have necessarily discouraged people from travelling generally. Taxi and other small public service vehicle operators, who are particularly dependent on the hospitality and tourism sectors, have faced a particularly pronounced drop in demand and real challenges and difficulties in the last year. It is in recogniti…

The €15 million in supports is designed for just those types of small individual taxi drivers and not for the big companies. It is a significant cash support, which increases further if drivers are using wheelchair-accessible vehicles. The uptake so far of 200 applications is a significant signal that this scheme is of real interest. It is a combination of that much-reduced cost of these vehicles and availing of other enterprise and liquidity supports, which will allow the financing of the purchase of vehicles. Tax…

Both Deputies are right that this is one of the industries which has suffered the worst. The ultimate way to get this industry restored is to see a return to normality in the coming months, with the roll-out of the vaccines and the lifting of restrictions, subject to the virus not taking off again, allowing business to come back. That is the first key thing that must happen. When I talk to taxi drivers, they recognise that no matter what vehicle they might have or whatever arrangements there may be, there is no bus…

Deputy Gould is correct about the figure of 200 applications. That is the number of applications, however, and they have not all drawn down the grants yet. If they were all to draw down €20,000, however, then that would be €4 million out of a €15 million fund. I am confident and hopeful that we will allocate the full €15 million. It is still only a small percentage but it starts to develop the supply chain of vehicles. We will then see costs further reducing because the requisite volume will exist.

An efficient and low-emission public transport system forms a key part of this Government's vision for sustainable mobility. As public transport is responsible for less than 5% of our transport emissions, in absolute terms, converting public transport fleets to low-carbon alternatives will have a limited impact on national emission reductions. However, greening the public fleet does fulfil a strong leadership and demonstration role as we shift towards a low-carbon economy. To this end, I am committed to continuing …

The Government will develop and deliver a new clean air strategy which recognises exactly that, namely, that this is a matter of life and death in respect of which we need to be really progressive. We have started that with the provisions to end the burning of smoky fuels throughout the country, which is probably the most immediately critical initiative to improve air quality and which I hope the Deputy will support. Nevertheless, the Deputy is correct. The switch to cleaner public transport vehicles and other meas…

I accept the NTA's explanation that, to date, the reason we have not purchased large numbers of double-deck electric vehicles is they were not available in models that were properly advanced or had been fully tested in the market. We are at the cutting edge of what is happening. It would be different if we had a bus transport system characterised by low, single-deck buses but we do not. In most of our cities, the large public bus transport fleets are double-deckers and up to now such vehicles were not available. Th…

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the relevant local authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from councils' own resources and supplemented by State road grants. The national development plan, NDP, as it stands provides for the gradual build-up of funding for the road network but funding is not yet at the level needed for the adequate maintenance and renewal of regional and local road…

As I indicated in the response, those meetings will be important. The Deputy is right; one of the key issues here relates to that bridge and the fact that there have been a number of incidents in recent years, including flooding, as a result of which the bridge has had to be closed. It is a very old bridge in quite an exposed position, as are other sections of the roadway. The key question relates to the solutions to that problem. Widening of the bridge is not appropriate given its historic nature. I presume that l…

The Deputy is right. The area is critical and Cobh is a very important destination and an historic location. There are other investments being made which I will mention when answering a later question. These relate to the development of greenways and urban development support for Cobh and the surrounding area. As the Deputy said, there is other transport infrastructure in the area. The rail service to Cobh has been a great success and may benefit from the upgrade of the line from Midleton to Cork and continuing on …