Avril Doyle (PPE-DE). – Madam President, while the details of some individual proposals in this report require careful study in relation to the principle of subsidiarity – especially any tax-related matters – the overall aims of the report deserve, nonetheless, to be supported.

From July 2008, Ireland will see major changes to our existing annual motor tax regime and to the vehicle registration tax (VRT) system. The new VRT system will see the introduction of a seven-band system based on carbon dioxide emissions and not on engine size. Despite ongoing gridlock in our capital city, the Irish Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, said in the last week that congestion charges will not be considered for Dublin because the shambolic state of public transport offers little alternative to the private car. Inadequate bus frequency, two light-rail lines that do not interconnect either with each other or with the main-line rail system, no link to the airport, no metro and still no integrated ticketing system – so much for efforts to reduce hydrocarbon use and greenhouse gas emissions! This picture of Dublin flies in the face of the European Parliament’s efforts and proposed measures to optimise the use of public transport, especially in urban areas.