Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Transport the measure he will take to reduce the increasing greenhouse gas emissions for the transport sector here; and his views on whether the current rate of 8% annual increase in emissions will make it difficult for Ireland to comply with the stated European Union target of at least a 20% cut in emissions from 1990 base levels by 2020. [6804/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I am implementing a number of policies and measures that will deliver a sustainable transport system, including the provision of supply-side infrastructure and demand-side management measures to reduce congestion and support a modal shift from private to public transport. This will allow the economy to maintain economic competitiveness by removing infrastructural bottlenecks, while increasing social cohesion and reducing environmental impacts.

Transport 21, a €34 billion capital investment framework for the period 2006-15, will promote the modal shift from private cars to public transport through the significant rebalancing of investment in favour of the latter. A total of €18.5 billion will be invested in the national roads programme, while €15.8 billion will be provided for public transport projects and regional airports. Funding for a range of sustainable transport initiatives is also provided for under Transport 21, including the dissemination of information on eco-driving and travel blending, as well as support for alternative fuels and technologies for public transport, haulage and taxi fleets.

The completion of projects identified in Transport 21 will, for example, see public transport capacity in the greater Dublin area almost double by 2016. Modelling of the impacts of Transport 21 in that area with the complementary implementation of demand-side management measures shows a reduction of almost 20% in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions during rush hour in 2016 compared to a situation without Transport 21.

I have requested my Department to draft a sustainable transport action plan for consultation this year. This will support the Government's revised climate change strategy and energy White Paper due to be published in the coming weeks. The plan will set out a range of measures to assist the transport sector's progress along a more sustainable path and make a critical contribution to reducing emissions in line with Ireland's commitment under the Kyoto Protocol in the period 2008-12 and beyond.

I am working to achieve emissions reductions in the public transport fleet. I have requested CIE to move to using a 5% bio-diesel blend in its current vehicles and to plan for a 30% blend in new vehicles. My Department is also supporting a pilot project in conjunction with the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce to promote the use of 100% pure plant oil, PPO, in heavy goods vehicles and buses. These measures, together with excise relief and obligatory fuel blending by fuel suppliers in 2009, will contribute to achieving the indicative biofuels target of 5.75% of all transport fuels by 2010 as set out in the biofuels directive.

In addition, technological advances within the automotive industry will be important in bringing more fuel efficient vehicles to market. Ireland supports the current proposals to achieve a reduction of average emissions in new passenger cars to 130 grams per kilometre by 2012. Tackling transport emissions will remain a key priority of mine. I will continue to promote measures to ensure the transport sector makes its contribution to reducing national greenhouse gas emissions.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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That is dishonest nonsense.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I would not expect the Deputy to say anything else.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Minister is not following a transport policy that will lead to a reduction in emissions. Instead, the State agency Sustainable Energy Ireland has set out detailed research on what is happening and where we are going. It predicts that by 2020 transport emissions will have increased by 46% on top of the 156% increase in the past 15 years. The Minister's record is one of utter failure in the past and preparing for failure in the future.

The debate on climate change has a moral dimension in that our emissions are killing people on the other side of the planet. Why is the Government failing in its basic moral duty by planning to increase emissions to such an extent that they will kill people? For this reason, the policy is dishonest. It is more than nonsense because "nonsense" is the wrong word.

The Minister is failing in every respect. Bus passenger numbers in this city are decreasing. As we heard on the last question, the Minister is willing to shut down the rail freight system, despite freight being one of the fastest growing sectors. In today's newspaper the Minister is reported as saying he is not happy with the number of roads we have and that he wants more such as an eastern bypass and an outer orbital ringroad around Dublin.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I cannot understand how the Minister can propose such plans after the Taoiseach stated this morning that we would meet our European commitment of ensuring a 20% reduction in emissions by 2020.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Of course, we will.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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It is patent nonsense and dishonesty. It is Fianna Fáil not telling the people the truth. How will the Government meet the reduction target of 20% below 1990 levels, 45% below current levels, when emissions will increase by another 45% under the Minister's stewardship? How can he combine those figures and give me an honest answer?

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Green Party finds it difficult to cope with a thriving economy, full employment and all that has happened in Ireland in recent years.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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None of which would have happened without the environment.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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According to the Green Party's recent pronouncements, it wants to cancel all road and motorway programmes and does not want the orbital route around Dublin or the eastern bypass.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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We want a Luas system in Galway and Cork.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Green Party has consistently opposed the planning of almost every major piece of infrastructure. In the context of the country's development, I do not adhere to the backward-looking position taken by the Green Party. As a former Minister for the Environment and Local Government and as the Minister for Transport, I adhere to a balance between the environment and the economy. I told the House with confidence that we would achieve our targets by 2010 under the EU biofuels directive. We have set out to achieve our targets and many public companies and the private sector support us.

The Deputy has not mentioned our considerable investment in public transport. Almost half of the €34 billion will be invested in light rail, metro and heavy rail systems. In the context of the electrification extension of the DART system, the construction of the interconnector will make a significant contribution to the reduction of emissions, which the Deputy knows and chooses to ignore. This will be followed by expanding the rail network, restoring the western rail corridor, providing new commuter routes to Cork and Galway and examining extensive feasibility studies for Limerick and other cities. While the Deputy discusses these matters without contributing anything positive in terms of maintaining a balanced economy and competitiveness——

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Government wasted ten years doing none of that.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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——we will take care of them, but we will not do so at the expense of undermining Ireland's position vis-À-vis the European and world economies. We will balance the serious environmental agenda, to which my colleagues in government and I subscribe, in a way that sustains Ireland's competitiveness in the global economy.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I want a simple answer to my next questions. Does the Minister believe we will be able to meet our European target of reducing emissions to 20% below 1990 levels by 2020 and how does he equate this with the State's predictions that our emissions will be 45% greater by 2020? I cannot believe there is still a Minister who is of the view that there is a choice between the economic and environmental balances.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The whole world believes it.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The economy is a subset of the environment, not vice versa. If we do not have a planet, there will be no economy. That is the scale of the challenge in the climate change issue. Even if one considers economics alone, the Minister's solution of significant growth in transport emissions will cost the Irish people considerably more because the rest of the world's population will not look on and say, "In fairness to the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, Ireland must look after its economy". The world will charge us for the excess emissions caused by the Minister which will cost us as taxpayers dearly.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy knows that most countries are reducing their emissions by building nuclear power stations, but that would not sit well with the Green Party which wants it every way.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Will the Government meet the reduction target?

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Of course, we will.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Some 20% below 1990 levels.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Shouting at me will not make the answer easier to understand.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Government only has a couple of months left to meet the targets set.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The answer is straightforward — we will meet our targets. We are committed to doing so.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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How?

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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We will not devastate the economy and create mass unemployment to reach our targets, which is all that the Green Party offers. The Deputy cannot sustain his position of not building infrastructure to maintain competitiveness and jobs, retain foreign direct investment and maintain our position in Europe and the global economy and balance it as we do.

I attended the Environment Ministers' Transport Council and dealt with the environmental initiatives, to which I subscribe. We were a leading party in that respect and will continue to be so, but we will not be caught on the wrong side by simple rhetoric because rhetoric has never achieved anything.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I would invest in public transport. Luas lines will provide for the future, not the Minister's motorways which are clogged up.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate one may have the luxury in Opposition of being narrowly focused and not care about all the other issues and that the Deputy can pick one very narrow point, which is fair enough. I do not propose to do that. It is irresponsible politics to do so.