Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)

I will address the issue of building regulations later. On the emissions trading scheme, Ireland has major responsibilities in this regard. The focus of the system appears to be on industry. In truth, however, the majority of carbon emissions are produced in the transport sector. This creates a major challenge arsing from our economic prosperity and affluence. While emissions standards in cars have improved significantly, the trend towards acquiring high powered cars has offset the benefits of reduced engine emissions.

I hope the budget will include measures which encourage people to choose a greener option when purchasing cars. I am sure the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government will have advised the Minister for Finance on the matter. We must provide incentives, while also addressing the problem of congestion, one of the major contributors to carbon emissions, by investing in public transport.

The Rock Road in my constituency will soon have a new quality bus corridor. Although I am, in principle, a great fan of quality bus corridors and welcomed the introduction of a QBC on the Stillorgan dual carriageway, I did so because the road was of an appropriate size. It is one of the successes of the Dublin transport initiative. I worry about what will happen on the Rock Road which runs parallel to the DART station. I accept, as do many of my constituents, that we cannot travel the roads like we did. I enjoy the privilege of a car parking space here, a privilege many other people do not have, but we must make changes. If I am to sell a QBC to my constituents, however, saying it is a good thing, not just because of climate change but because of convenience, we will need more buses. Those buses do not necessarily need to be publicly owned.

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