Mr. John Fearon:

Deputy Michelle Mulherin raised the matter of rural transport, an issue on which the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Kelly, is working very closely in trying to maximise what can be done with the available funding. The Deputy mentioned the issue of having a realistic alternative, on which we must continue to work. The possibility of having gas-based vehicles has been recognised and recommended by the National Economic and Social Council, as well as the concept of working towards the use of alternative fuels, either through decreasing the amount of traditional fuels or encouraging people, where possible, to use vegetable-based fuel, etc. where engines can cope. There are no proposals to make this mandatory, but we are conscious of the matter.

With regard to legislation, the Deputy mentioned being conscious of the impact on ordinary people. That strikes home in the transport sector. In the initial presentation I tried to outline the scope of the challenge. In trying to meet it there is no single identifiable solution. Therefore, there will be an impact on a great number of people in many areas, of which we should be conscious. That is why the concept of consultation and setting out the complete programme will be very important in the coming months.

Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan mentioned the carbon tax and how it was used. From our perspective, the benefit we see is in how the taxation influences behaviour. Whether it is used to reinforce this in specific ways is another consideration. The use of the taxation regime to influence what people do has been important to date and will be a very important tool available to us in the future.

I was taken by the comment that not everybody wanted to live too close to others. That puts the finger on the particular difficulty, as what is set out in the Bill in the case of transport and other sectors is very ambitious. It will simply not be possible to get there through measures that are both popular and low-cost.

The package employed to reach the targets that are envisaged must encompass a very wide range of measures.

With regard to transport, an efficient public transport system would greatly encourage people to live in more densely populated communities but it is not a solution for everybody. We must introduce a suite of measures that will help us reach our targets. We also hope that the move towards low-carbon living will be an opportunity to create a niche market that will drive employment and create other benefits. Such initiatives have been recognised at a European level and it is important that we do not lose sight of it here. The level of change is very significant and the costs associated with the transition are not insignificant. Therefore, we must look beyond environmental benefits and at other benefits that will arise.

Senator Keane mentioned transport priorities. In response, my colleague spoke about alternative energy and how to boost the use of electric cars. I wish to touch on the point made by Deputy Mulherin who said that providing transport infrastructure for the majority of people would make public transport attractive. She also wanted to know how we can make the greatest impact. We can create benefits quickly by concentrating on areas like large fleets or employers.

A point was made about gas-based vehicles. There would be cross-sectoral benefits if people used gas generated by anaerobic digestion. One of the transport sectors that we have examined, and will continue to focus on, is changing the way people travel for short journeys and I acknowledge that it is not a solution in rural areas. People living in urban areas undertake a phenomenal number of short journeys by car. We have put a lot of effort into trying to induce people to change the number of their short car journeys. We will continue that focus by promoting walking and cycling schemes. We can make a difference if a great number of people change the way they travel.