Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will answer them as quickly as I can. On insurance, the Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, is heading up several actions to reduce the cost of insurance. Motor insurance costs have fallen from their peak in mid-2016 and health insurance costs have stabilised. Public liability insurance is now the major focus of the Minister of State. In particular, he is facilitating work on a more realistic book of quantum in line with other countries. We expect that will have a knock-on effect in terms of reduced premiums. There will also be far more data gathering regarding settlements to see if they are out of line and more action on fraud, which is an issue of particular concern.

On climate change, the Government's efforts focus on three main areas: investment, the carbon charge and regulation. Investment as detailed under Project Ireland 2040 will get us approximately one third of the way to meeting our climate change targets for 2030. It will comprise investment in renewable energy, public transport, home insulation and all those things we need to do. Regulation relates to decisions such as the ending of the burning of coal at Moneypoint by 2025, taking peat off the grid and banning the sale of new diesel and petrol cars from 2030. The third area is the carbon charge. We we are currently working on that model. All three strands are necessary. Nobody honestly believes one can meet one's targets unless one is willing to do all three. I hope that Deputy Boyd Barrett informed the people who gave him the Valentine's card of the extent to which he objects to a carbon charge and why it would not be possible to meet those targets without a carbon charge that drives changes in the behaviour of people and businesses.

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