Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I wish to follow up on that. I am looking at the amount of grant funding allocated. Everyone would love a new car, and most people, if they had a choice between an EV and a diesel car, would go for an EV. Most people understand this is where we need to be moving to, but new cars are very expensive. For the majority, even a modest new car is out of reach. We need to be really conscious of this. When I look at the figures, I see that the grant money allocated by the Department seems to be very much focused. Money is being provided to people who are very wealthy and may not necessarily need it. In 2021, according to a response to a parliamentary question, €13.5 million was provided in grants for cars that cost over €60,000, €12 million was allocated for cars that cost over €50,000, and €22.5 million was allocated for cars that cost over €40,000. I would still consider a car valued at €40,000 to be expensive and out of reach to most people. The Government essentially provided grant funding of €50 million in 2021 to enable people to buy very expensive EVs. From a public-purse perspective, I believe the focus was on the wrong people in our effort to help people to move to EVs. I would be interested in hearing the Minister’s comments on that.