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

Absolutely, the 2030 target that we have to reach at the moment is for a 30% reduction in non-ETS areas. Many people talk about the 30% target, but that excludes electricity. We have put in place measures that we believe will deliver that. In any event, the EU has stepped up its ambition although it is using a 1990 target. The EU ambition is for a 50% to 55% reduction on a 1990 target. That is approximately 35% to 40% on where the EU is today. We are going to have to step up our ambition in the same way. We can expect that we have to come up with policy measures to match that. That will be a challenge for us.

Quite apart from the programme for Government negotiations, which I am not going to comment on, there are challenges for us in meeting the new European green deal and the likely allocation to Ireland of obligations under that new ambition. That is why we have to come up with these measures. The reality is that we will probably end up in a position like Denmark, which has committed to high ambition but cannot specify all of the pathway. That is the reality we will have to follow.

I will not comment on Government discussions around carbon pricing. I know the Labour Party favours hypothecation. That was ultimately the decision made by the last Government when carbon pricing was introduced. Of the €90 million that was raised, €9 million was allocated to cycling and other allocations were made. It is arguable that this helped people to make the change.

Deputy Sherlock raised the issue of eliminating combustion engines. Eliminating new registrations of combustion engines from 2030 is still absolutely part of the target. Increasingly, other members of the EU are seeking that the EU would adopt that target. A lesser target has been a feature of the EU under which it would give longer before we make the transition away from combustion engines. Anyway, as ambition rises other countries will also be adopting the Irish and Danish positions and many others.

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