Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to pick up on a point raised by Deputy O'Murchú regarding the new office for low-emission vehicles. I am interested in the State's prioritisation with regard to its own fleet and that of its agencies. Reference was made to the purchase of 16,000 new vehicles this year. It is my understanding that approximately 4,000 vehicles have been bought by the State. I am not sure if the Minister of State is aware of that figure. It is certainly in that region but only a tiny fraction are electric vehicles. Last year only 1.12% of the fleet was electric and this year it is 1.5%. The State is investing in fleet that will be in use for at least ten years. We have 2030 emissions reductions targets but we are tiptoeing in the direction of electric vehicles. What is the Minister of State's response in that regard? My position on it, from the perspective of the Opposition, is that we will support the Government but we are not responsible for coming up with alternatives. All we are trying to do is to encourage the Government to deliver on agreed objectives but it is not happening. What is the Minister of State's response on that? Does she see this new office as being a paradigm shift? How does the State intend to improve on those figures?