Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is not part of my official contribution but I am very much supportive of the Germans in this regard. The links between Ireland and Germany have been very important for a long time, but particularly since Brexit.

We need an important discussion on air quality in Ireland. This is not me having a go at turf, anything to do with turf or fossil fuels generally; it is just about particulate matter. There are many discussions going on about this. The Irish Heart Foundation has produced a very significant report on air quality in Ireland. While it is generally quite good, it could be better. There is a lot we could do in both urban and rural areas through how we deal with our cars, including electric vehicles, and fossil fuels generally. We need a debate with the Minister responsible for the environment, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on where we are going regarding air quality. We talk about an increase in the number of road fatalities, the number being above 100 and heading towards 200, but it is estimated that 1,700 people die prematurely from poor air quality in Ireland each year. We have very significant asthma issues. It is really important that we have a debate here on what we are doing and what we are not doing that we should be doing regarding air quality. I urge the Leader to take on board my call for a debate. Sorry, Leader-----