Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I congratulate the Minister on the introduction of smart metres. The deficiency in his speech is that I do not get a sense, after six months in Government, of somebody laying out a programme of significant actions, for what may well be a short enough Government, across the energy and transport areas which would begin to meet our commitments and lead our people in a way is environmentally sustainable. That is the big gap I see in what I have heard and read in the rest of the speech.

Transport remains the sector which consumes the most significant amount of energy, a massive 41% according to the recent SCI report. In that area a striking amount of energy is used in the freight and road haulage industry. I expect the Minister to bring forward significant proposals and yet today we heard nothing of what the Government might be prepared to do in that regard. The huge energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the transport area are the result of the massive and growing dependence on the car. The recent 2006 census figures, presented by the CSO, confirm this along with the growth in the use of the car by up to 1 million people and the reliance of schoolchildren and their parents on the car as the vehicle of choice to get to school and work. The State's chronic under-investment in the public transport infrastructure is strongly reflected in the 2006 census findings. I expect to hear more from the Minister and his party in regard to the slippage in Transport 21 and the failure to set out key initiatives to bring about a fundamental shift in mode of transport.

For example, he was very vociferous in Opposition on the issue of county council and State body car fleets and yet after six months in Government I have heard of no initiative whatsoever in this regard, not even in regard to the Cabinet. There are many proposals on car advertising. SIMI, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, was outside the Dáil over the last couple of nights talking to Deputies and spokespersons and making certain points about VRT levels and so on. However, there is nothing in terms of a policy on, say, a carbon levy, how VRT will work or how road tax will work in the future.

I commend the Minister on the introduction of smart metering from early next year but we have heard another sermon on important truths, of which we are all convinced. However, what we seek from the Minister and his colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, and the Government, is a series of proactive measures to try to change our country's energy usage behaviour.

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