Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. He mentioned our constituency. The transition statement identifies that the most profound health impacts of climate change will arise from severe weather events, ultraviolet radiation and poor air quality. My colleague, Deputy Costello, gathered some data on schools at the start of the year. They showed that additional traffic doubles the level of nitrous oxide, NOx, during the school term. The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, says that Dublin city centre's air quality in 2019 was likely to have breached EU and WHO guidelines and that this was due largely to our reliance on fossil fuel motor vehicles for transport. The EPA's report included advice from the WHO suggesting that we lift young children above the level of vehicle exhausts. I suggest that reducing car traffic would be a more practical option than carrying children around on our backs.

In spite of this, the OPW seems to have little inclination to do anything about car traffic through or on its properties. A case in point is the Phoenix Park. During the shutdown, we had a window onto what the park should look like - a natural haven. In a short space of time, my colleague on Dublin City Council, Mr. Michael Pidgeon, garnered more than 7,000 signatures for a petition calling for the park to be closed to through traffic. Despite this, the OPW's first reaction was to propose reopening the gates to traffic. As a result of that decision, we have seen in the past few days the main avenue become gridlocked with traffic and the associated NOx emissions. Will the Minister of State or the Minister outline what plans the OPW has to reduce fossil fuel motor vehicles travelling through its properties, in particular the Phoenix Park?

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