Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 405: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the policies in place in his Department to encourage the use of public transport by staff travelling to and from work; the policies in place to encourage staff to use public transport when travelling on departmental business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15194/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Since October 2008, my Department has participated in the Workplace Travel Plan as part of the Dublin Transportation Office's One Small Step campaign, with the aim of encouraging greater staff use of sustainable transport options when travelling to and from work, and ensuring that, where practicable, staff opt for sustainable transport options when conducting business on behalf of the Department.

Under the Plan, the Department is committed to:

· encouraging a change of attitudes and behaviours, where possible, around travel options to and from work;

· reducing the reliance on the car as a means of transport to and from work and promoting, where possible, the healthier, sustainable options of walking or cycling for all or part of the journey;

· reducing the carbon footprint of the Department by reducing carbon emissions from staff car usage in the context of their work;

· promoting the use of public transport to cut down on emissions and traffic.

To help achieve these aims, my Department has implemented the Cycle-to-Work Scheme and the Travel Pass Scheme whereby staff can obtain a bicycle and/or safety equipment or an annual bus/rail pass, respectively. The Department has also participated in the "In Town without My Car Day" event on 22 September each year, with the car park at my Department's offices in the Custom House closed to all but disabled staff.

In the context of official travel, it is Departmental policy that public transport should be used wherever possible, where it is deemed necessary to travel for business purposes. Staff are only permitted to hire taxies or to use their cars to travel to and from meetings where no suitable public transport (e.g., train or bus) is available, where public transport is available only at equal or greater expense or where the use of public transport would result in the loss of official time which it is necessary to avoid. Staff travelling between Departmental offices, where public transport options are available, may claim the costs of travel on the basis of public transport rates (bus/train) only.