Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am in Leinster House. I thank the witnesses for the interesting discussion. My camera has been off for most of the time, but I have been here listening to them all. On the point Deputy Devlin raised on retrofit, the advancement of the proposed one-stop shop for information for people right across the board, whether it is on EVs or retrofitting schemes, is something on which we need to put significant focus in the coming months. We need to see this operational in 2022 to try to assist us all in getting to where we need to be.

Notwithstanding everything that has been discussed, I want to focus on public lighting for a moment. Mr. Mahon talked about the energy efficiency improvements that are being done. One aspect to an area of personal interest, which is electric vehicles, alternatives to cars such as electric scooters, and the infrastructure associated with cycling routes throughout the country, is one of things they are doing in Fingal at the moment and which is operating quite effectively, which is a trial use of lamp standards for charging EVs. This is in partnership, I think, with a private firm. It seems to be operating quite well. With this energy efficiency upgrade of our lighting equipment throughout the country, there are great opportunities to broaden the delivery of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Coupled with that is the fact it would dramatically reduce the costs. I believe one of our witnesses estimated them at somewhere between €10,000 and €15,000, with the costs being per hour and with funding being provided to local authorities at around, I think, €5,000 per unit. Clearly, if the infrastructure is there and it can be adapted, as it has been in Fingal, then it occurs to me there are opportunities to reduce the overall costs.

The point I wanted to raise is that it is quite alarming to find at this stage in our discussions on climate action and reducing our carbon emissions as a country that we did not or do not have a national strategy for EV infrastructure. If I am not mistaken, I think it was mentioned that we do not have one and it is about to be published. The only question I would ask is why the delay. The climate action plan was published in 2019. It has been dramatically improved, in both its reach and its targets, by both the Government and this committee in the significant work we put into the process. Therefore, to hear that the national strategy for EVs has not even been published is a bit alarming. When will it come about? Will there be an opportunity for this committee, or indeed the transport committee or housing committee, to review it before it is published? Will the witnesses comment on that?

My final question relates to local government. It is very important our local government bodies throughout the country lead on climate change in local communities. They have the networks. They have the outreach on the ground in education and in improvements within each and every local authority in the country. My only question to the LGMA representatives is whether we have sufficient budgets and expertise within the local authorities to deliver upon what has been set in front of them, especially in staffing. Are there any barriers to their body in attempting to reach those targets at a local authority level?