Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Climate Action Plan 2023. I often wonder about plans, including the climate plan. The rich can always afford the obstacles that are put in front of them, but the poor always suffer. Motorists in rural Ireland must contend with the carbon tax and the attempt during the past year to try to stop them burning a bit of turf. It is a half of 1% of the whole country. We then saw 500 aeroplanes going to COP27 and nearly €100,000 spent on doing up offices. One wonders what agenda is being pushed here.

In the context of the Government's plan, if we want to help the climate situation, there is some low-hanging fruit that I did not see in the plan. The first thing I would do is provide bus transport for every child going to school, in the way we did in the 1980s. We are not able to do that today although we are supposed to be a society that is wealthier than we were in the 1980s.

In regard to the second point, I cannot for the life of me understand why this is not done. We are not going to have electric cars or the provision of hydrogen by 2030, but if we want to try to hit the targets, which at this stage are unachievable, there is an additive for diesel, similar to the dye added to white diesel to make it green diesel, which reduces emissions by 20%. There is a boat in Cork that operates on this type of diesel. Funnily enough, the company concerned tried to talk to the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to see why we do not do that. I have since contacted the Minister of State in the Department, Deputy Chambers, who in fairness has come back to me. It is a solution for the next ten to 12 years. We are not going to magic up electric cars overnight.

In addition, the Government has done so much to increase insecurity. If the Minister has a look, he will see auctions of machinery in various parts of the country this week, because contractors are getting out. Why are they getting out? It is because they do not know what future there is for them. What is that going to do? It will put more pressure on other people, create unemployment and result in less service around the country.

Deputy Pringle talked about making sure that people in all parts of the country are looked after. What is the plan? Coillte is to become a subcontractor. We are now going to let it mind the forests for an English entity to which we will give grants. I accept there will be some money involved for Irish people, but most of the money is going out of the country. At the same time, we will be trying to rewet 8,000 ha in the north west, midlands, west and south west. If the Government were honest, it would admit that the plan is to make a theme park out of certain parts of the country. That is not going to wash because many people live and work in their communities and they make a better community. That is how we build an economic area. Now, under all the plans, we are making the situation lopsided.

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