Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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111. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a report or costings have been carried out to ascertain the direct and indirect health costs to the State of burning petrol and diesel at ground level in towns and cities. [41237/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As part of its ongoing research funding, the EPA is supporting research at Trinity College Dublin into the impact of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) on health, with particular emphasis on vulnerable groups.  NO₂is primarily a pollutant generated by traffic, and this study seeks to establish appropriate data which can determine the correlation between NO2 levels and the prescribing of drugs used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease.

At European level, the European Public Health Alliance recently completed a study into the health costs of air pollution in European cities, and the linkage with transport, which focused on 432 cities across all Member States, with populations of 100,000 upwards. The Irish cities involved in the study were Dublin and Cork. The report quantified and valued pollution-related health impacts, concluding that the total annual per capita cost is €836 in Dublin, and €756 in Cork. The overall average per capita cost across the EU was €1,276 per annum. 

While Ireland compares favourably to much of Europe, we are taking the following steps to reduce the levels of traffic emissions in our cities:

- putting 180,000 electric vehicles on our roads by 2025 and almost 1 million by 2030;

- taking steps to decarbonise the public transport fleet;

- developing a 5-year cycling strategy, and the roll-out of 200km of new cycle lanes; and

- encouraging a transition to public transport through a new Park and Ride Strategy to help reduce congestion and lower journey times.

In addition, the Urban Transport-Related Air Pollution Working Group (UTRAP) was formed last year to consider and address the level of transport-generated air pollution in certain areas. This Group, which is jointly chaired by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Transport, is due to publish an interim report shortly which will contain a range of recommendations to help further address transport-related emissions.