Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Government seldom has all the solutions and never has enough resources. However, with what it has, when used wisely, it can make a positive difference to individual lives one issue at a time. When those issues lead to co-ordinated action, substantial change can come. The economy, our climate, the communications networks that link us together and support our jobs, enhance our quality of life and underline the viability of our communities are priorities that were chosen by this Government on its first day in office. They are connected, not stand-alone responsibilities. They are part of a wider programme across Government to pool our available resources as a people in ways that will make a measurable difference for a sustainable environment and self-sufficient, connected communities.

Action on climate is a marathon, not a sprint. On climate we cannot make the change on our own. However, in budget 2018 we are giving people the tools to help make the transition to a low-carbon economy. Approximately 30 different measures across Government were announced in yesterday's budget. I have secured a total capital investment of almost €1.1 billion from now until 2021. Except for housing, the biggest capital increase in 2017 and 2018 across Government is in my Department. This multi-annual budget will focus primarily on energy efficiency because energy efficiency and climate action are inextricably linked. Using less energy more efficiently is the most cost-effective way to combat climate change. Over the course of 2017 and 2018 there will be an 83% increase in the energy allocation. Next year capital funding will be invested in sustainable energy projects which will save 120,000 tonnes in carbon emissions, supporting 3,500 jobs, mainly rural, while also reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels. Working with the Minister, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, we have agreed that public bodies that save energy can keep the money they save on their energy bills to put back into services, facilities and equipment. This is a clear incentive that sits alongside the obligation on public bodies to improve their energy efficiency by 33% by 2020. Government has allocated €9 million to help deliver on this objective in 2018.

A total of €106 million has been made available for forestry measures in 2018, which will help to establish 6,600 ha of new forest. Funding has also been allocated to continue the smart farming programme roll-out to a further 1,000 farmers in 2018. This collaborative initiative, run by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, within my Department, is crucial to delivering a sustainable recovery through the dual mandate of improving farm returns while enhancing the environment. For the farmers involved, smart farming has a real effect, identifying average cost savings across the sector and reducing climate impact by 10% on participating farms. Another welcome measure announced in budget 2018 for farmers was my allocation of €7 million to kick-start a renewable heat incentive scheme which will help to develop an indigenous biomass industry, helping to create jobs and reduce the use of fossil fuels.

Committing more resources to energy is accompanied by more resources for the environment and waste management. Over the next two years expenditure on the environment will increase from €42 million, when I took office, to €65 million next year. That is an increase of 55%. This year the Environmental Protection Agency will be allocated €35 million more to regulate, research and advocate for our environment. In a country in which one in five children has asthma and is literally gasping for breath every single day, we must address the issue and improve our air quality. We will make a real difference to air quality by taking smoky fuels out of the economy, but doing so also requires monitoring and measuring of air quality, which is essential to the policing of this measure. We currently have 30 air monitoring stations across the country, and next year and in 2019 I intend to provide 24 additional stations.

I have secured a doubling of the budget for next year to €10 million to incentivise the use of electric vehicles. The 0% rate of benefit-in-kind for electric vehicles for next year has been announced by the Minister for Finance along with a review of the benefit-in-kind measures on vehicles to be addressed in next year's budget. New grants to support the installation of home charging points will be available from 1 January for new and second-hand electric cars. Additional funding will be provided to support the provision of public charging with an increase in the number of rapid chargers. I also intend to launch a new electric vehicle public awareness campaign to drive uptake. It will include an awareness campaign, a public driver experience roadshow, public sector and commercial fleet trials and an electric car sharing programme.

The scourge of illegal dumping is something we as a people will not tolerate. More than €1.3 million will be allocated next year to deal with this head-on.

However, money alone cannot solve our litter problems. It requires behavioural change and personal responsibility. We have to enable people to take action to avoid, to reduce and to reuse so I have allocated €1.6 million to fund a national waste awareness campaign. Tackling waste, saving energy and ensuring we have clean air are all steps towards a cleaner environment and tackling climate change and they are part of the circular economy.

We have a huge challenge in protecting our environment, improving the air we breathe and addressing climate change. This is a massive task, one we cannot approach in isolation but only by all of us working together. Communities have to work with each other, the State has to work with the public across the country and countries across the globe have to work together. In the short term, I want air quality to improve, not just for the one in five children who suffer from asthma but because four deaths per day are directly attributed to poor air quality. If we can progress that issue, we can address the long-term challenge of saving our planet.

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