Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2019
529. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of carbon used in public transport per year; the carbon tax liability on same; the estimated cost of the increase in carbon tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43129/19]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for policy and aggregate Exchequer funding of public transport. The National Transport Authority has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of Public Service Obligation (PSO) bus and rail services throughout the State. In light of the NTA's responsibility in relation to PSO services, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct response; please contact my Office if you do not receive a response within 10 working days.
As set out by my colleague the Minister for Finance in Budget 2020, the increase in carbon tax from €20 to €26 per tonne is expected to raise €90 million in total in 2020, all of which will be allocated to fund new climate action measures, including some in the transport area.
This is in addition to the substantial investments - some €8.6 billion under the National Development Plan - that we are making to expand the capacity of the public transport fleet, so that it can carry more passengers, and that more people can use sustainable modes of transport such as bus and rail for more of their journeys.
We are also moving to ‘green’ the public transport sector by moving away from fossil fuels and transition to alternative fuels such as electricity or biomethane. Over time, this will reduce the level of fossil fuel purchased (and carbon tax paid) by our public transport providers, although it should be noted that buses currently account for less than 3% of land transport fuel use and emissions.
This is why I am maintaining a strong focus on expanding the carrying capacity of our public transport system over the coming years. That is how we can really help address the largest sustainability challenge in the transport sector - which is shifting more journeys from private motoring towards suitable alternatives in public transport and active travel. Our vision is to build up our public transport and active travel system to move more people to more places for more of their journeys.
