Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Fianna Fáil is opposing this measure because of its lack of balance. While the Government is obliged to collect revenue, this is an extraordinary decision. In essence, a ground-breaking scheme, the purpose of which was to redirect people to purchase clean cars in order to improve the environment and to facilitate a sustainable environment in the future, has been declared a success. However, because it has been declared a success, it now is proposed to change it essentially to disincentivise people from buying cleaner cars and to incentivise them to buy dirtier cars in respect of emissions. In essence, this is the proposition that has emanated from the Government. Moreover, this action reflects a broader disdain for the climate change agenda by the Government, as well as a disdain in respect of environmental sustainability. Nothing else explains this decision, other than that broad philosophy that has underpinned the Government's present approach.

When one considers the climate change agenda and the environmental issue, the sector that is causing Ireland the greatest challenges, and will continue to so do in the future, is the transport sector. As I sat around the Cabinet sub-committee on climate change, time and time again it was the transport sector that presented enormous challenges in meeting the Kyoto obligations or any subsequent European Union CO2 emission targets to which Ireland had signed up. This measure flies in the face of all the evidence on CO2 emissions and the efforts to improve Ireland's position in respect of the transport sector in particular, as well as the broader environmental agenda. The measure also constitutes a betrayal of those people who took the Government and the State in good faith and who purchased cars with lower CO2 emissions. I acknowledge it was the Government of the day but there are some matters about which there should be a sense of honour and obligation to people.

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