Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. EV charging infrastructure is crucially important. It is good to see the growth in EV sales. Something that has helped them is the grants. I would like to see the grant levels maintained for EVs as well, because people are responding to that.

Local authorities have a role to play in that, and many exercise it. I have seen an increase in charging infrastructure across many of the local authority areas. That is supported by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. We work with the Department on that. Some of the local authorities have brought forward schemes relating to charging points on public lighting posts as well, as the Deputy will have seen. They have been quite innovative in that space. It is something certainly that we will work towards and we will continue to support.

With regard to new builds into the future, I have brought in provisions for EV charging infrastructure in all new dwellings with their own car parking space, non-residential buildings with more than ten spaces and existing ones with more than 20 spaces. In addition, exemptions have been made in planning provisions so that the vast majority of EV charging points are exempt from the requirement of planning. We support local authorities in the work that they have to do in their own facilities. The Deputy will see on-street charging points, many of which are facilitated by local authorities.

The EV charging infrastructure throughout the country, including that in services stations, particularly when people are travelling from one side of the country to the other or on longer journeys, needs to be expanded further.

Our colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications are responsible for that.