Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I welcome the Minister to the House and commend him on his efforts with this Bill. Any Bill that strategically contributes to an improved environment in Ireland is to be welcomed. For all its flaws, we all agree the Bill will update what is an archaic motor tax system and bring it into line with the challenges we now face.

I have made this point previously, but as the economic situation continues to deteriorate it is worth reiterating. We cannot neglect our environmental duties just because the economic crisis has got worse. The respective fates of climate and credit are not mutually exclusive. In that regard the Bill will translate good intentions into quantifiable improvements in our carbon emission levels. While that is welcome, I suggest that in the area of environmental legislation there is an urgent need to move from tactical to strategic legislation.

This Bill deals adequately with a specific aspect of the overall environmental picture and, while I do not doubt the motivation of the Minister, or Senator Boyle, some people may question the motivation behind the Bill because a considerable amount of time has been spent discussing the benefits that will accrue in respect of the income for local authorities. When the Minister, Deputy Gormley, was in the Chamber earlier he mentioned that the local authorities can expect to see upwards of approximately €40 million in additional income next year. I reiterate the sentiments expressed by others in this House, and by Members in the other House, in questioning the rationale of attaching importance to an arbitrary funding model in what should be an environmentally focused Bill.

There are two fundamental problems with earmarking this legislation as a mechanism for local authority funding as well as the environmental focus. First, it is somewhat disingenuous to suggest that this Bill will constitute a type of sustainable funding model for local authorities in the future. By its nature the figure of €40 million additional income will decline in accordance with the success of this Bill. Therefore, if the environmental aspect of the Bill succeeds, its funding aspect will fail.

Second, the inverse is also true and therein lies perhaps the most unappealing aspect of the Bill. In attaching the declining financial fortunes of our local authorities to the environmental performance of our motorists, the Minister has placed the stakeholders in opposing corners of the debate. That is the criticism we make in regard to the funding. It is not whether local authorities need funding; it is the way the local authorities are being put at opposite corners to the environmental lobby.

Anyone who has served on a local authority, which I have done, will be acutely aware of the increasingly desperate financial position many county councils now face. I spoke to Councillor Eoin Holmes, a member of Meath County Council, last night and he explained in graphic detail how strapped is the council for cash. He said legislating to ensure local authorities, on the one hand, and environmentally conscious motorists, on the other, are turned into competing interests is not the answer. Senator Boyle said the Government could not increase local tax rates nor could it provide more money from the Exchequer and, therefore, he seemed to indicate he was in favour of a stealth tax. I hope the Commission on Taxation will resolve this issue next year because we are not happy that the success of this legislation could lead to a deterioration in the financial well-being of local authorities next year.

Twelve months ago, a report by Sustainable Energy Ireland outlined the scale of the challenges we face. It said a 7.1% increase in CO2 emissions had been noted in the transport sector alone compared to the previous year. In total, this sector represents more than one-third of all of Ireland's emissions. A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences predicted that global car use is becoming so huge that the impact of emissions from today's road traffic on the global temperature in 2100 will be six times greater than today's air traffic.

Single passenger private travel to work is a concept that needs to be tackled immediately. During my research on commuter towns in Counties Louth, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, survey respondents suggested journey times to Dublin had increased by 30% over the previous five years. Taken at the maximum, that represents an increase of approximately 80 hours a year in the time commuters spend travelling to and from Dublin to work. That places an enormous strain on them and their families but it also has an impact on the environment. In commuter towns such as Dunshaughlin, Dunboyne and Rathoath in my constituency, it is typical for parents to get up before their children, leave and commute for an hour and a half or two hours to work before returning home after the children have been put to bed. Senator O'Toole referred to the availability of public transport in these towns now and, in particular, he mentioned Ashbourne, County Meath. It is possible to get to Dublin in less than a hour and I avail of public transport from my office in the town when I can. It is important that people are encouraged to avail of public transport and commuters who make the switch from cars to public transport should be rewarded.

Other countries have introduced smarter choices campaigns to inform commuters how to positively affect their pockets, quality of life and the environment by choosing public transport. The city of London is introducing tax deductible green bonuses to reward employees who leave their cars at home. The UK Government is investing Stg£100 million in a programme to speed up the introduction of new low carbon vehicles. This programme is a perfect example of the strategic model in which the Government should invest. A partnership involving the Department of Transport, universities, research agencies, transport companies and local authorities should come together and exploit new radical approaches to decarbonising road vehicles. This is the way forward and such a measure should be implemented.

This legislation does not go far enough. The measures included are worthwhile and necessary but radical thinking is needed, which spells out in the starkest terms how commuters can make better life choices and, in the process, help the environment. A Central Statistics Office report last week stated many commuter towns and villages in Counties Louth and Meath are suffering as a result of the economic decline. The majority of people in these areas will not see this as progressive legislation but merely another stealth tax or small financial hardship in an impossible economic environment. We need to encourage, explain and incentivise if we are to have any hope of bringing such people along with us on these issues.

As Senator Glynn said, a long journey starts with very short steps. The Bill represents a short chapter of a book that needs to be written quickly. It has holes and flaws and its scope is too narrow, but it should contribute to a cleaner environment and my party will not vote against that. I commend the Minister of State on introducing the Bill in the House and I acknowledge the good work done on Committee Stage in the Dáil.