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The
Green Party has stated that the environmental initiatives in
today’s Budget do not go far enough.
Green
Party Leader Trevor Sargent TD said,
“The
Minister’s announcement of the establishment of a National Carbon
Fund is simply buying our way out of our Kyoto commitments at the
taxpayers expense to the tune of €20 million in 2006 alone.
‘I
am pleased that the Government has finally accepted the Green
Party’s call to support alternative fuels and energy sources.
However the target of 2% use of bio-fuel in transport by 2008 is
extremely conservative, considering that the European Union target
is 2% by 2005. Once
again Ireland will lag behind on the international stage barely
meeting the minimum requirements from Brussels.
“Minister
Cowen’s announcement of €65 million for a renewable energy grant
scheme for the period 2006-2010 is a case of too little, too
late.”
Green
Party Environment spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe,
referring to the €65 million renewable energy grant, said that the
Government’s announcement is only a drop in the ocean. “With
75,000 new homes being built every year, an allocation €13 million
per year only amounts to €175 per house. That doesn’t allow for
any allocation to existing housing stock. This will only pay for a
couple of doorknobs, and is not a significant commitment. In the UK
significant grants have been available to householders for such
works for many years. We have to go further.”
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CiaranCuffe.com