Dáil debates

Wednesday, 4 October 2006

1:00 pm

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

We are well off target. The Government commitment to the Kyoto Agreement states that we should be ten points lower than where we are at present. In other words, we are ten points adrift. We are far above the carbon dioxide emissions that we should permit. I attended a lecture recently at the Dundalk Institute of Technology given by Lawrence Staudt, who is the head of the renewable energy department. He said that Ireland has the highest level of greenhouse gas emissions per capita of any country in Europe. That is a shameful statistic.

The Minister has fine talk but there is no action. The spatial strategy is not working. Thousands more people are spending longer periods commuting to work in Dublin by driving from Wexford, Portlaoise and even Galway. The Government's policy is not working; it does not have a proper transport policy. The EPA has stated that emissions caused by transport, that is, cars, lorries and so forth, are far higher than they ought to be. The Government has failed to meet its commitments under Kyoto or to implement a proper transport policy. We are causing more pollution per capita than any other country in Europe. The spatial strategy is not working.

Will the Minister insist to each local authority — this has been implemented in Fingal County Council — that a specific amount of renewable energy be used in house construction, whether that is 10%, 15% or 20%? I will not argue about the percentage but the principle must be established. There must be a reduction in CO2 emissions from homes, particularly given the heat loss caused by many modern technologies. I accept that the building regulations are being changed but the Minister is not insisting on a percentage of renewable energy to be used in every home.

A number of Members of the House travelled to the UK to see a competition held by the UK Government to produce a low energy, low cost home. Will the Minister introduce such a scheme? Will he put the technology industries head-to-head with each other? Will he put the cement industry head-to-head with the timber frame housing construction industry, tell them to come up with the best house between them, one which is neutral in terms of energy or has the lowest possible emissions, and say it will build it? Will the Government take this on board in its social and affordable housing plans and build such houses — say 10,000 of cement construction and 10,000 of the other? Whatever the figure, we should opt for whichever is the best. It is not acceptable for the Government to sit back and do nothing about it.

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