Vol. 516 No. 5
224 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the steps, if any, his Department has taken to encourage members of staff to cycle to work; and if he will consider a cycling allowance to promote cycling. [8632/00]
Less than 60% of the staff of my Department are Dublin based office staff. They are encouraged to cycle to work through the provision of a secure bicycle park and shower facilities. Almost 20% of my staff are field based staff who use cars as part of their official duties. The remaining 25% are located in decentralised offices in Ballina and Shannon where the use of bicycles, though desirable in some cases, would not be a practicable proposition for staff in most cases, given the distances between their homes and places of work.
While I have no proposals to introduce a cycling allowance at present, my Department was among six organisations that participated in a recent survey, organised by the Dublin Transportation Office under the SAVE II programme, to examine commuting habits among their staff. The aim of the survey was to provide accurate information, from which a commuter plan for the Department could be developed, incorporating the promotion of sustainable modes of transport to work such as cycling and car sharing.
