Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I absolutely agree that the Government needs to lead by example. We are going to do that. For example, we have already banned single-use plastics, we are requiring every public body to have a resource and waste plan in place, and we are requiring every public body to adopt green procurement. That will be a significant element in helping people. We also have grants. As the Deputy knows, there is a grant of 30% for improving the fabric of one's house or its heating system, €10,000 towards an electric vehicle, and 100% support for low-income families in moving towards more sustainable heating systems. There are 256 sustainable energy communities and they are getting very significant support to make sure they travel this journey. It will require communities working with the Government to achieve the objectives. It is really important that we recognise this is a national challenge that is not all about saying we should wait until the Government has done X or Y; this is something we need to act on now. We cannot say we will have nothing until there is public transport to some very high standard that is deemed necessary. We need to act now on all these fronts and act with the support of the wider community.

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