Mr. Tony Goodwin:

At a previous meeting, Professor Morgenroth accepted that in many cases diesel vehicles were more suited to the longer-distance journeys. It needs to be generally understood that no one is saying that diesel is a bad option in every circumstance. Unfortunately the policy is driving in that direction when there is no evidence to suggest that. The Chairman is right that there is a difference between the urban and rural environments. When he was here the last time, Professor Morgenroth said that Ireland does not have the air particulate problem that other countries have because it is windy here and because our urban areas are not so built up. The ban on diesel cars in an urban environment is a very different concept from the long-distance haulage operator.