Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to take part in today's debate and I acknowledge the comments made by the contributors so far. I take this opportunity to pass on my condolences to family and friends of those who died as a result of Covid-19 in the past week. I also want to pass on my sincere thanks to all those front-line workers who continue to perform heroically in the fight against this disease. As can be seen from the daily figures, the Irish people are winning the battle against Covid-19, which is a great testament to their determination and willpower.

There is no doubt that carbon emissions form part of one of the greatest challenges we face not only now but into the future. We have agreed targeted reductions over the coming decades but we have not put in place a realistic plan to reach these targets. There will be a balancing act to keep many industries sustainable while at the same time reducing our carbon emissions.

Much focus is regularly and unfairly put on the agricultural sector as a major contributor to our greenhouse emissions. There is no point in speaking about a particular section while at the same time failing to offer any solutions. It is very easy to continuously point out a problem but never offer any viable solutions.

The Minister mentioned electric vehicles earlier and this is one area that we must consider seriously. According to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, an electric vehicle produces approximately 60 g of CO2 for every kilometre driven while a petrol car produces an average of 130 g of CO2 for every kilometre. In other words, an electric vehicle produces 54% less carbon than its petrol counterparts. It is a no-brainer that people should be switching to electric vehicles.

The Minister knows the switch to electric vehicles is not happening in any great numbers. We hear that may people are concerned by the range of vehicles, the lack of charging points and so on. The main reason people are not moving to electric vehicles is a fear about the lifespan of the battery in the vehicle and the potential cost of replacement. It could potentially cost between €5,000 and €9,000 to replace a full battery system, which is a major reason for people not to move to electric vehicles. The driving range of a vehicle and the number of charging points are continuously improving but the battery issue has not been addressed.

One solution is to grant-aid the cost of a replacement battery to the end user. This grant could be based on the number of kilometres done or some other scheme that promotes the use of electric vehicles. If we are serious about moving to electric vehicles, we must address this matter. The benefit of electric cars is a reduction of at least 54% in carbon emissions and this is an opportunity we must take. Will the Minister consider the introduction of subsidy scheme for replacing batteries in electric motor vehicles? At the very least I suggest we look into the option and get expert opinion.

I will also comment on the cycle-to-work scheme. I am fully supportive of this scheme and the fact that it allows people to cycle to work, as opposed to driving, is to be commended. It will also contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions. To make the scheme more attractive to people, we must look at how cycling lanes are currently being used and their effectiveness. In Dundalk, cycling lanes were introduced in certain areas that by all accounts are absolutely useless. The lanes are rarely used and are extremely dangerous in parts, as well as being an eyesore. The people living beside the lanes are seeing a severe impact and, in general, those lanes are a failure. Driving through the Seatown area of Dundalk one is likely to see cyclists on the road instead of cycling lanes, which tells its own story.

I am 100% in favour of using bicycles instead of driving to work. We must encourage and support their use.

However, we must introduce cycle lanes that will enhance an area and make cycling not only safer but also more enjoyable. If we did a calculation on the savings that would be made from encouraging people to cycle to work as opposed to driving, we would see an advantage. The cycle to work scheme gives those who avail of it a tax break but why not look into a scheme where we could give those people more incentives, perhaps including the use of energy credits to move to cycling to work? I would be interested in hearing the Minister's views on that.

During the past three or four months we have seen major change in the country. The Covid-19 pandemic will change forever many aspects of daily life to which we had become used. One area I believe we will benefit from is the fact that businesses and their workers are now considering working from home as an alternative. I have spoken to many business owners in the Louth area who are putting plans in place to have their workforce operate from home on a full-time basis. From a carbon reduction point of view, there are many advantages. If people work from home it means that they are not travelling to work, whether in a car or on public transport. That alone will greatly reduce our carbon emissions. There is a great opportunity here but to get the most out of this transition we must support not only the business but also the employees. We need to put measures in place that will support employees to convert space in their homes for work purposes. It is all very well to speak about working from home but people do not want to work at their kitchen table. They need a dedicated workspace. We need to support them in creating that workspace in the home. The benefit of that far outweighs any negative aspects. It has been shown that people are more productive working from home, have a better quality of life and overall are better off.

We are here today discussing climate action and low carbon development. What better way to address that than by taking people off the roads and out of the cities and towns for work purposes? We should think about the many thousands of workers who could work from home and therefore not clog up the roads and public transport systems. We need to have expert opinion on that, and the Minister might support me on it. Imagine if we could reduce traffic going into our major cities and towns by even 30%. The carbon saving on that would be enormous. We would then not need as much office space, which in turn could be used for housing. Not only could we reduce our carbon footprint but we could also be helping the housing crisis. Will the Minister support me today in looking at ways businesses and employees could be supported in transitioning to working from home? The support could be in the form of a home grant to convert a part of the home to a workspace or office.

As the Minister knows, I fully support all reasonable efforts to move to a position where carbon emissions are reduced greatly but that must not be done at a cost to certain sectors. We must support all sectors as we try to move to a carbon-neutral society. We must be clever in our approach, get the right advice from experts and put in place a realistic plan to reduce our carbon emissions.

Will the Minister support the introduction of a subsidy scheme for electric vehicle owners to replace batteries that have reached the end of life, examine the possibility of introducing a type of energy credit scheme for people using their bicycles to cycle to work and introduce a scheme that will subsidise homeowners to convert part of their home to work use? If he does not have enough time to answer all of my questions, I would appreciate it if he would do so in writing.

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