Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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704. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the position regarding the feasibility study on the infrastructure required to be able to travel and tour Ireland's experience regions by sustainable modes of transport, as outlined in Action 12 of the Actions to Promote Sustainable Tourism Practices 2021-2023 from the Sustainable Tourism Working Group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57050/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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In 2022, Fáilte Ireland completed and shared a study with the Department of Transport on preparing Irish Tourism for growth in Electrical Vehicle Usage. This Fáilte Ireland study looked specifically at the e-charging infrastructure in Ireland as it relates to tourism. The study sought to understand the current position, proposed infrastructure developments in the medium term (3-5 years), gaps and opportunities for car touring with electric vehicles or hybrid, ascertain future trends in terms of technology and range of vehicles and provide a roadmap for sustainable car touring and tourism development.

The ultimate objective of the study was to identify the infrastructure required and frequency of e-charging points to support sustainable car touring so that international and domestic visitors can travel freely and without range anxiety through Ireland’s tourist routes in the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's Ancient East and Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. The Fáilte Ireland study provided a number of insights for the needs at destination level which informed the development of the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy as launched in January 2023 by my colleague the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD. This strategy will see €100 million spent on public charging infrastructure over a three year period.

The strategy presents an ambitious pathway and practical steps for delivery of a national EV charging network which will see a pool of high-powered chargers every 60 km on our motorway network as well as home/apartment charging, residential neighbourhood charging (including new mobility hubs), destination charging and en-route charging.

Through initiatives such as the Shared Island Fund and the Just Transition Fund, the Government will explore and implement the provision of targeted infrastructure to benefit communities and increase access to EVs across the island of Ireland which will benefit Tourism. Furthermore, my Department is progressing with the development of a new national tourism policy framework that will seek to mainstream sustainability – environmental, economic and societal – across the entire tourism sector. The new framework will shape how our tourism industry develops in the period to 2030. While I want to see the tourism sector grow, I want it to do so in a manner that is consistent with our broader sustainability targets and ultimately ensures that Ireland will be a brand leader in sustainable tourism practices. While initial consultations with key stakeholders were completed last year, I will shortly launch a public consultation to give the public the chance to have their say. I hope to have the new policy framework itself finalised in the coming months.