Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 395: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his Department's work place travel plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5850/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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As part of my Department's participation in the Dublin Transportation Office's One Small Step campaign, a Workplace Travel Plan was launched in October 2008. The aim of the Plan is to: encourage greater staff use of sustainable transport options when travelling to and from work; and ensure that, where practicable, staff opt for sustainable transport options when conducting business on behalf of the Department.

In introducing the plan, the Department is committed to: reviewing the travel patterns of staff, particularly in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA); encouraging a change of attitudes and behaviours, where possible, around travel options to and from work; reducing the reliance on the car as a means of transport to and from work, particularly in the GDA, and promoting, where possible, the healthier, sustainable options of walking or cycling for all or part of the journey; reducing the carbon footprint of the Department by reducing carbon emissions from staff car usage in the context of their work; promoting the use of public transport to cut down on emissions and traffic.

In the context of official travel, it is Departmental policy that public transport should be used wherever possible where it is deemed necessary to travel for business purposes. Staff should only use their cars to travel to and from meetings in the following circumstances: where no suitable public transport (e.g., train or bus) is available; where public transport is available only at equal or greater expense; where the use of public transport would result in the loss of official time which it is necessary to avoid.