Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Martin Mansergh, to the House and congratulate him on his recent appointment. We are all delighted to see somebody who served time in this House being promoted from within the ranks.

The issue I wish to raise concerns tax rebates for people who park their cars at train stations to travel to work. We welcome the major improvements that have taken place at some stations around the country because this has led to a much easier commute for people. They no longer have to wade through muck at stations, but have proper parking facilities and can walk in comfort to the platform. There has been major improvement, but this must be paid for. We have seen charges introduced at stations like Ennis, Mallow and, in my area, Stamullen and people must now pay approximately €250 per year in car parking charges, on top of their train fares to and from Dublin daily.

These charges discourage people from using the car parks in order to take the train to work, particularly if they have an alternative means of travelling. Some people choose to drive all the way to Dublin. If they have parking at their place of work, they may choose to use that rather than pay the extra €250 per year in car parking charges.

The Government is trying to encourage the use of public transport. Projects such as these car parks can help to encourage people to commute by train, but we need to do more. Bearing in mind the ambitious targets we have to reduce emissions, we need to do what we can to ensure people use public transport. Would it be possible to include car parking charges in the tax rebate structure? Currently, people can apply to get tax back on their commuter travel tickets. Would the Minister be willing to consider including car parking charges at stations into that tax rebate structure?