Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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139. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if there are any restrictions on the purchase of internal combustion engine vehicles by Government bodies in light of Ireland’s climate commitments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63174/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The revised Clean Vehicles Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/1161) entered into force on 02 August 2021 by means of statutory instrument No 381 of 2021 European Communities (Clean and Energy Efficient Road Transport Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations 2021.

The specific aim of the Directive (CVD) is to increase the up-take of ‘clean’ low- and zero-emission vehicles in public sector fleets across the EU, by setting binding minimum targets for procurement undertaken by public sector bodies. Ireland now has a legal obligation to ensure that a proportion of public vehicle procurement is low- or zero-emission. All public sector bodies are required to apply the Directive if the value of their vehicle procurements is above relevant procurement thresholds as set out in Regulations amending the EU thresholds for the Directives 2014/24/EU and 2014/25/EU. Public sector bodies are also required to report these vehicle procurements to the State to facilitate national-level reporting to the EU.

Definitions of what constitute ‘clean’ vehicles are established in the legislation based on vehicle type. Light duty clean vehicles are defined by specified low tail-pipe emissions levels. For the heavy duty sector, ‘clean’ vehicles are defined by low or zero-emission power, with a range of alternative fuel technologies included in this definition (such as battery, hydrogen fuel cell, biofuel, synthetic-fuel and gas-powered vehicles).

The Directive applies to cars, vans, trucks and buses (excluding coaches), procured through:

- Purchase, lease, rent or hire-purchase contracts under obligations set by EU public procurement rules;

- Public service contracts for the provision of passenger road transport services;

- Services contracts for public road transport services, special-purpose road passenger-transport services, non-scheduled passenger transport, refuse collection services, and mail and parcel transport and delivery.

There is considerable variation in the technological maturity of alternative fuel technologies for the different vehicle categories and types included in the Directive's provisions, however. The Directive and the associated regulations have been designed to take this into account and two reference periods for procurement targets have been set: 

- Between now and 2030 with different minimum procurement targets applying to each. Between now and 2025, 38.5% of light-duty vehicles, 10% of trucks and 45% of buses procured under the relevant procurement value thresholds must be clean vehicles.  

- Between 2025 and 2030, the minimum procurement target of 38.5% clean vehicles will still apply to light duty vehicles, but more stringent targets will apply to heavy the duty vehicles included in the Directive’s provisions. In this later reference period, 15% of trucks and 65% of buses will have to be clean vehicles.

Due to the current limitations of alternative fuels technologies, certain categories of vehicle have also been excluded or have been exempted from the provisions of the Directive. These include certain heavy-duty vehicle segments for which alternative fuel technologies are limited or unavailable, as well as civil defence vehicle segments where low emission vehicle technologies may not offer equivalent levels of functionality. As alternative fossil fuel technologies for these vehicle segments develops, it is intended that these exemptions will be reviewed in future iterations of the Directive, and that national procurement targets will be amended as appropriate.

The CVD requirements set minimum targets for the procurement of clean vehicles across all EU member states in support of both national and EU Green deal decarbonisation ambitions. This builds on the positive leadership and market impacts that green public procurement policies can have on the development and uptake of innovative lower-carbon goods and services; it also complements wider Government commitments to transition public and private transport fleets from fossil fuel technologies. 

The Climate Action Plan under Section 10.2 sets out targets for the public sector climate action mandate, including procurement of only zero-emission vehicles from 1 January 2023 unless exempt under the EC (Clean and Energy Efficient Road Transport Vehicles)(Amendment) Regulations 2021 (SI 381 of 2021), but that public sector procurement contracts for delivery and haulage should specify zero emissions vehicles where possible. This will enable Ireland to go beyond the EU CVD requirements. My Department of Environment, Climate and Communications is leading on delivery of both green public procurement policy and the Public Sector Climate Mandates.