Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his Department's views of the increase in sales of so-called sports utility vehicles; the implications for this increase on Ireland's climate change strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36593/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The latest available inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, compiled annually by the Environmental Protection Agency, shows that emissions for the entire transport sector for 2003 were 11.85 million tonnes CO2 equivalent, an increase of 130% since 1990. The inventory shows that emissions of C02 from road transport increased by 135% between 1990 and 2003. However, statistics for emissions of carbon dioxide from specific categories of motor vehicles are not available as emissions are calculated on the basis of fuel sold rather than vehicle type.

The national climate change strategy identifies a range of policies and measures to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions across various sectors. Measures addressed to the transport sector include vehicle efficiency improvements, taxation measures and measures to promote modal shift. In this context, a 50% reduction in vehicle registration tax for hybrid-electric cars is available until the end of 2006. Separately, €6 million in excise relief was granted by the Minister for Finance in August 2005 for a two-year pilot scheme to stimulate the development of the biofuels sector in Ireland. Both of these initiatives will promote the use of lower emission vehicles.

In the context of the review of the national climate change strategy, the potential for further taxation measures to favour the purchase and use of vehicles with lower carbon dioxide emissions will be examined.