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

I raise the issue of the airline industry, which is of major strategic importance to Ireland, far more so than any other EU member state. Over the coming years, I am aware there will be massive over-capacity in the airline industry. However, that does not ensure that access will be available for Ireland, which will be crucial. What goals has the Minister set for Ireland to protect our strategic interests, particularly in the event of restructuring occurring in airlines that prominently serve our airports? Has he assessed what are the best policy instruments to achieve these goals? I know there are attempts to underwrite certain routes but can that be a direction of travel? Should we consider taking preference shares in airlines that are making commitments? What is the process of evaluation being undertaken here?

One of the great challenges we face in transport is cutting dependence on fossil fuels. While I am as enthusiastic as the Minister is about modal shift, I am conscious that 80% of vehicle journeys made in Ireland cannot be easily replaced by public transport, cycling or walking. Will he commit to accelerating the roll-out of electric vehicles? The roll-out of electric vehicle chargers has been stalled. I suppose it is understandable, with Covid, but only 3% of the plans by local authorities and the ESB have been delivered to date. Half of the population would now consider a shift from combustion engine to fossil fuels. Will the Minister accelerate that and copper-fasten the ban on new combustion engine sales after 2030?

On cycling, I congratulate the councils on what they are doing and acknowledge the support from the Department of Transport. Would the Minister consider simple things such as the surface used by cyclists as an early win? Is he considering changing traffic rules to enable flashing amber signals at traffic lights for cyclists who can safely move at times but do not always observe the rather inflexible laws in place now?

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