David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The State needs to conduct more research, not only on carbon taxes. We are doing ourselves a disservice by focusing too much on carbon taxes and carbon tax increases. There should be more of a focus on how we can enable people to make a transition. Deputy Connolly spoke about this aspect. Most people want to see a transition as they want to be able to make a change. However, it may not be affordable for them to do so, even if we were to increase the carbon tax. For many, changing from heating their house with oil or gas to an alternative that would be more energy efficient would involve quite a substantial investment. It would not be cheap. The same can be said about changing one's car. I have also cited the example of those who cannot depend on public transport. No bus of any description passes through the village in which I live. The families who live in the village do not have access to a bus service. To bring their children to school, they either have to walk a long distance, cycle with them for seven or eight miles, or drive. Most have no choice but to drive. We need to conduct much more research, not just on the impact of increasing taxes, as I am not convinced by what I have seen. We do not need to encourage people to make a transition because they are encouraged already. We must conduct more research on how we can enable them to do it.