Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

I am glad the three members are in unison on this matter. I will certainly reflect their concerns and the views they have articulated back to the Minister. Senator Conway, it is fair to say that nobody from our side of the House wants to decimate the car rental market and the fleet relating thereto, which is a very important part of our offering to tourists coming in and to people who need to rent cars.

The Government remains firmly committed to accelerating the electrification of private and corporate vehicles as part of its broader climate objectives. As Members will know, under the Climate Action Plan 2023, Ireland has an ambitious target of having 30% of our private fleet being electric. The transition to EVs is a key lever in reducing emissions and remains a priority for Ireland and for the Government. The electrification of the fleet would provide the most significant share of emission abatement in the short and medium term.

The comments posed by the Members are very important. As they will know, in the third quarter this year, Ireland exceeded its 2025 target of 195,000 EVs by the year end. While trajectory thus far this year shows a steady increase of month-on-month EV registrations, we need to continue that momentum. To sustain progress and meet our targets, demand-side interventions will be critical. EU measures such as the proposed recommendation on the corporate fleets, which would create clear obligations for corporate fleets to transition to zero-emission vehicles, is continuing.

I will take the Senators' views back to the Department and the Minister. I look forward to working with them further on this matter, but I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, to engage with them. I thank the Senators for making their comments, particularly as this is an important issue. I take their views seriously and will relay them back to the Government and the Minister.