Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support the amendment, which makes sense. It is a feature of both Committee and Report Stage amendments that reports are called for to get information. If the Department was better organised, frankly, it would not be contentious and it would form the basis of people being able to make intelligent decisions. I confess to being one of those mostly women who some years ago switched to a diesel car because I believed all the propaganda I read. One might say somebody involved with politics should be very alert to propaganda but I really believed it. It is a particular concern for the Minister in his constituency, for me in my constituency and probably for Deputy Michael McGrath in his constituency in Cork that all the international evidence indicates the level of pollution and particulates from diesel cars is far higher than has been appreciated. The health consequences, particularly for young and vulnerable people living near busy traffic routes, are very severe and ultimately could be very costly to the Exchequer.

The data and information about diesel were not available until the various scandals, particularly involving Volkswagen and so on, which emerged in the United States when tests were faked. It is a second reason to support this, particularly for any of us who represent urban constituencies with dense concentrations of traffic. Many of the drivers in the traffic, like me, bought diesel cars thinking they were better for the environment. That was four or five years ago. I am not somebody who would trade in a car very frequently but a strong case can be made for a financial incentive in this respect. A former Minister, Mr. Ruairí Quinn, did this in the past for what might be called clapped out vehicles over ten years old. There was a subsidy to have them replaced and get the bangers off the road. It worked very well at the time. There is a role, with regard to consumer and business behaviour, in providing such subsidies.

Our carbon record is desperate and that is a primary reason for doing some of this. We really are bottom of the class with regard to carbon emissions. Internationally, that is put down to our cattle and it is associated with our name. Significantly, we can act in this respect for health reasons. The Minister and I live near a children's hospital and we know asthma rates, for example, are very high in Ireland. The evidence now is that particulates in diesel are likely to be culprits in that. I strongly support the amendment, although I recognise it may not be pressed.

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