David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to Parliamentary Question No. 240 of 3 July 2008, if he has received reports on the success to date of the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council pilot project for plug in parking-charging facilities for electrical vehicles; if he will support similar pilot projects in other areas of the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43742/08]

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 113: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he has met with the Department of Transport with regard to the potential growth of the electric car industry; the position regarding the potential for electric cars here; the current and projected emissions for the transport sector; the way he envisages that the 10% target set in the budget will be met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43641/08]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 378: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the way he will stimulate uptake here of hybrid electrical and battery electric vehicles to reach the 10% target set for 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43790/08]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 112, 113 and 378 together.

Following on from the recent Government decision to establish an inter-departmental/agency group to look at deployment of electric vehicles in Ireland, it was agreed that my Department would oversee the group. All relevant Government Departments, including the Department of Transport, and agencies are represented on the group. The group will examine the best way forward to promote the use of electric vehicles in Ireland.

My Department has also been working directly with the Department of Transport to progress matters in the context of the Sustainable Transport and Travel Action Plan currently being finalised by my colleague, the Minister for Transport.

In association with the Minister for Transport, I recently announced plans for the mass deployment of electric vehicles in Ireland. We have set a target of 10% of all vehicles in the transport fleet to be powered by electricity by 2020 which will represent up to 250,000 cars on Irish roads over the next 12 years. We propose to aid this by introducing tax incentives for businesses to purchase electric vehicles allowing them to write off 100% of the cost of purchase against tax under the Accelerated Capital Allowance Scheme. Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) will also be funding a €1 million project to research, develop and demonstrate alternative transport technologies including electric vehicles nationally. SEI has also published a Buyers Guide and a Cost of Ownership Calculator to aid individuals interested in purchasing electric vehicles. We will be establishing a National Task Force to examine the infrastructure options for the national roll-out of electric vehicles, including street charging. I attended a press event in relation to the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Council motion and as such I was aware of their intent.

With regard to emissions for the transport sector the latest figures, which relate to 2006, show transport accounted for 13.72 million tonnes of CO2 which equates to 19.7% of all green house gas emissions. In 2020 transport is expected to account for 16.9 million tonnes of CO2, which equates to 20.6% of all greenhouse gas emissions.