Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

More details on this initiative will be provided by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Biofuels

I have agreed with my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, that Ireland should set an initial target of 2% of the fuel market to be taken up by biofuels by 2008 and that we should achieve this through targeted excise relief measures. The level of excise relief will start at €20 million in 2006 and will be increased to €35 million in 2007 and to €50 million in each of the following three years. This relief, when fully operational, is expected to support the use and production in Ireland of some 163 million litres of biofuels per year. This is 20 times the current level of biofuels that is excise-relieved.

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