I welcome the chance to speak on the Bill. I also welcome Deputy Tóibín recognising that people need financial supports and that we need a stable government to bring them in in the next few months. It is great to see that.

Sentiment score: 0.67

I would not be looking for a few seats to make the Irish people worse off at a time of geopolitical turmoil. What we need right now is people who are going to stand up and lead. I will give the Minister solutions. I welcome that he referred today to the progression of plug-in solar. Has the Department investigated the cost of a temporary free public transport scheme? What would the estimated cost be? A lot of people who are using public transport are on subsidies at the moment. At the moment, we need people to be able to commute and reduce their energy costs. This Bill is about air pollution but when we speak about plug-in solar and how it will help reduce the use of fossil fuels, I welcome that the Minister said that in 2022 someone had submitted that plug-in solar was unsafe. I am on the climate and energy committee. I have requested and will continue to request information on who deemed it unsafe. If I was betting man, I would say it was someone who installs solar systems on the top of roofs that said it was unsafe. I refer to giving people an easy option. People in apartment dwellings in my constituency want to reduce their bills. We need to make it possible for them to buy a system that is a lot cheaper than the installation of a permanent system on their roof and allow them to plug it into their house. The Germans did it. There are examples. There is no complex planning and no major installation. We could even get a demonstration and do it within an hour. The Germans have over 1 million of these systems installed. That is just through their official scheme. That is not mentioning how many people were using their own kits that they were buying from online suppliers. These new units cost as little as €500 for a basic set-up. It is ordinary people who I represent. It is renters. It will help with air pollution because we are giving them a renewable source. At this moment in time, it is a renewable source that will reduce their bills and benefit their pockets. Each system is small but, together, they are cutting down emissions and reducing pollution. It is estimated that they are preventing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions in Germany. The installation of these systems is very simple. It does not require major infrastructure and it will give people immediate savings. I raised this yesterday. A lovely constituent of mine called me and said they would love to be able to avail of this. They have three children and they are struggling with their bills. That extra few bob in their pocket would help them right now. It is exactly the kind of policy we should be working for - low cost, high impact and quick. Regarding everything else, we are talking about housing, healthcare and the cost of living, and rightfully so, but the quiet thing that we have not been discussing but will be going into now is air pollution. I always talk about Dublin Bay and water pollution, so I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. When I was younger I had asthma. Thankfully, I grew out of it. From studies, I know air pollution is a huge cause of juvenile asthma. There is also a huge number of premature deaths. We are above EU levels, but there are areas that have bad air pollution. What other countries are doing is something that we should follow. We could look at the Japanese and the Germans. I would say the members of the energy committee are fed up with me citing Germany as a guide for how we should do it, but the reason I mention it is because the German Government follows practical and logical solutions, whether it be plug-in solar or the moss that is used on the outside of buildings and is brilliant for absorbing PM2.5 particles. The 3D printing that can be used for this moss can also be used for nature-based solutions for flood defence in Dublin Bay North. We can bring in these systems of artificial reefs that encourage marine life and biodiversity in the waters. We should be using these nature-based solutions. Their installation is low cost and they are low maintenance. We would be using nature's base that is already there and established. In Dún Laoghaire they are using oyster beds to combat water pollution, which is a brilliant idea. It is purifying the water. When we come the issue of air pollution, there are solutions we can use to retaliate against it. For local pollution in Dublin, we could look into bringing in alternatives, such as planting more trees. That is a very simple one. When I was researching for this speech, I came across a study in the UK on the use of trees in heavily polluted areas - areas with traffic lights. The study indicated trees can reduce air pollution in such areas by between 20% and 40%. There are high-density plants that are known for reducing the level of pollutants in the air. Members of this House are often contacted by constituents regarding issues they would like us to raise. One of the solutions that was mentioned to me was put in place in the Netherlands and France. The Minister might be laughing at me now but it is a very simple fix. It is a type of paint that can be used on roads and, in direct sunlight, it absorbs pollutants. I had not been aware of this previously. The person who rang me is doing a PhD in air pollution. I was blown away by the idea and looked into it further. There are a few videos on it. It has been shown to succeed. It is low cost. It is called photocatalytic road paint. Surfaces are treated with titanium dioxide, which breaks down air pollutants using sunlight. I was blown away when she rang me. It reduces nitrogen oxides, which are the main pollutant coming from traffic. It is a passive system with no maintenance once installed, just like nature-based solutions. It has been successfully used in other European cities. I will always come to the Minister with solutions. This is one that I would love him to look at. We could even paint the road ourselves. It would be nice to see a north Dublin road that is reducing pollutants. What we are trying to do is to use small areas of nature-based or scientific innovation, such as that paint, to benefit people and reduce air pollution. The data is clear. I will go back to the start - solid fuel burning. Deputy Gogarty mentioned it. For example, there is smokeless transport emissions. These are the main drivers. To reduce solid fuel burning, let us give them the option of plug-in solar. To reduce transport emissions, let us give them the option of reduced fare or free public transport during this economic crisis. Let us accelerate the transition into cleaner heating systems. Yesterday, the SEAI appeared before the climate and energy committee. I welcome that some Deputies have criticised the SEAI. However, the reality is that the SEAI and the grants it has made available have been studied by other European cities and countries as a result of the success rate and the high level of uptake. I would love for the initial cost of some of the schemes to be examined because there is not such a high uptake among those on lower incomes due to the cost. There are some contractors that will give you the work in lieu of the grant. We need to look into that if we are going to encourage people to participate, particularly those who are under economic strain. The findings of the research are clear. Real-time pollution alerts are being used in other European cities. We are very lucky that we do not have that level of pollution in Dublin city. Another constituent told me he recalls a time when it was not possible to see from one side of O'Connell Street to the other. That was not in my time. I wish to acknowledge a few groups that have been working with me since I have been in this House. They include the EPA, Dublin City Council and community groups, such as Tidy Towns, which are bringing in biodiversity products and encouraging it. Driving in today, I saw that one of the bus stops in Fairview, which is in my constituency, has a planter on top of it. I would love to see that rolled out more, with a few flowers and a bit of this. It would also reduce pollutants. It is a biodiversity spot. My message is clear. I would love the Minister to look into the 2022 analysis of plug-in solar and see who deemed it unsafe. It is definitely something that we need to look into. It is a quick fix. The people would benefit from it now.

Sentiment score: 0.16