Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton. If the Action Plan for Jobs, which he initiated, launched, supervised and managed, is a yardstick or indicator as to what will happen in this instance, we can be extraordinarily optimistic.

It is good that we have clear objectives of meeting our 2030 target and reaching zero emissions by 2050. We should not see this issue in purely punitive terms. This can create great and very interesting healthy lifestyle changes and can also create new employment opportunities and a new quality of life. It is not necessarily negative and should not be seen in those terms.

Given that time is short, I will race through a few specific issues and proposals. Charging points for electric vehicles are a major issue. On "Morning Ireland" this morning, we heard that the lack of charging points is an issue in County Sligo. It is also an issue in my county and everywhere else. We need more charging points.

Speaking of charging points and electric cars, which obviously form part of what we want to do, I proposed some time ago that a grant or an incentive be provided for first-time drivers who decide to buy an electric car. If an electric car is their first car, they will continue to buy electric vehicles, develop a sense of ownership of the climate change agenda and adopt a lifestyle to match in which they will take pride. We should incentivise first-time drivers to buy electric cars more than other drivers, as we do in the case of first-time buyers of houses. I appeal to the Minister to consider that proposal.

The Minister's plan to retrofit 500,000 homes has great merit. The idea of doing this in clusters based on an agreed price with contractors is a very good one. I suggest that this idea be expedited. Easy payment methods and supports should be provided for poorer people. The proposal has merit in that it will result in energy savings, reduced heating bills, less fuel poverty and so on. It is a wonderful idea which could have a great outcome.

I have the privilege of being a member of the Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The Minister will recall from his meetings with the committee that I often raise the issue of microgeneration and allowing people to sell electricity into the grid. The Minister should run very quickly with that idea.

He should also examine the model used by the creameries and co-operatives at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century and provide for community microgeneration where people in a village might own a microgenerator, just as they owned the creamery of old. They would receive a reward from that. This would get the whole climate change agenda into the public consciousness.

I am told by people who know much more about this issue than I do that Ireland's new gold could be offshore wind. We have the right tidal conditions to be a pioneer in developing offshore wind energy and become a world supplier. I ask the Minister to comment on that specific issue.

We must avoid fuel poverty. While all of this is wonderful and laudable, if we introduce a carbon tax, people in receipt of the State pension or social welfare payments must be insulated from fuel poverty or a diminution in their living standards. We should devote the money saved by not having to pay fines or purchase carbon credits to the poor and those who are not in a position to buy fuel.

The Minister made an interesting point on eliminating single-use plastics. That is a lifestyle change which should be introduced.

We should encourage the health insurance sector to support people who adopt a healthy lifestyle by cycling, walking and so on.Insurance policies should provide credits for such activities. People should be given better life insurance policies if they have evidence of undergoing health checks or of walking or cycling to work. While that could present administrative difficulties, creative ways of doing it could be found. This approach has been implemented in Singapore to great effect. If it can be done there, why not here? I appeal to the Minister to have his officials look at the example of Singapore in this regard.

I will make one final point and in that regard I thank the Acting Chairman for her indulgence. I live in the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. A small parcel of land that is not arable should be planted on every farm and farmers should be incentivised to do so. When I was a child there was a kind of ribbon or shelter belt on every farm and there were trees around the house. That should still be the case. There are parts of every farm that are less arable and farmers should be encouraged to plant these. I would like to hear the Minister's response to that proposal.