Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 13 November 2025

Public Accounts Committee

Appropriation Accounts 2024
Vote 31 - Transport
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2023
Chapter 9 - Appraisal of Rail Project Investments
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2024
Chapter 21 - Collection of Motor Vehicle Taxes
Financial Statements: Motor Tax Account 2024

2:00 am

Photo of Séamus McGrathSéamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I apologise that I missed some of the session. I had to attend another committee. There is a delegation from the Czech Republic. I will focus on two issues in the time I have.

The take-up of electric vehicles and the underspend of €59 million were mentioned. One issue that is raised with us, as public representatives, is home charging and the importance thereof. For anyone living in a house that does not have a driveway, there is no clear protocol in place with regard to putting in place a home-charging facility in circumstances where the cable will have to be run across a public footpath. This is something that, I would have hoped, could have been resolved by now. It is something I tried to progress when I was a member of Cork County Council by introducing motions and so on. I have been in touch with the Minister on this issue. As of now, if I live in a terraced house in front of which there is a public footpath, I cannot able to put a home-charging facility in place. That is a real issue. If we want to encourage the take-up of electric vehicles, we have to facilitate people to put home-charging infrastructure in place. What are the intentions to bring this about as soon as possible?