Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy. We have to treat air quality absolutely seriously. There are 1,600 premature deaths each year due to air quality issues. We have taken significant action in this Government - actions that were put off by previous governments for decades - with regard to introducing standards around solid fuels, which is the key issue around impact, as science tells us. That is making a significant difference, as is the promotion of active travel, as the Deputy said, and other clean technologies. In fact, the renewables issue we were talking about earlier would also help. Solar and wind power will all help in terms of air quality. The key issue now is doubling down on enforcement and getting local authorities to enforce the legislation we have. I will continue to work with the CCMA and others to make sure that if any merchant or other operator is selling fuels outside the standards, they will be prosecuted. They will be shut down, in effect, or certainly stopped in that activity. At the moment, I am focusing my efforts on making sure we have proper enforcement.

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