MICHAEL O'LEARY, Ryanair

CARBON TAX COULD BE AN ADVANTAGE

"WE'RE not particularly worried about the Greens being in government, " he said.

"Any party could do something for political expediency."

Dunne praised the Green manifesto as "one of the better thought-through", especially regarding the proposed carbon tax, an idea floated by Dunne himself in February.

"We have said carbon tax need to be looked at, so we can hardly argue with their proposals, " he said. "A tax is a much cleaner intervention than regulation, although one worry is that it would be introduced as just a business tax when consumers have a carbon footprint as well.

"But we welcome it as a development towards a postcarbon economy, since countries that have adapted will have a competitive advantage in international trade, " he said. "Sweden actually introduced a lower rate for businesses . . . we've mentioned that to the Greens . . . and we're already seeing the Swedes position themselves as experts."

John Dunne, CEO, Chambers Ireland

SUPPORTS CARBON CUTS

GALVIN says technology can help cut carbon emissions by making travel less necessary . . . his own company pledged $20m to cut executive air travel and reduce its carbon emissions by 10%. Cisco also happens to sell kit that makes this possible. Perhaps the Green Party leadership might usefully talk to Galvin about a virtual party conference instead of fossil-fuel travel to the Mansion House.

"I'm very supportive of any aspiration to drive down output of carbon emissions, " he said. "It benefits climate, but we can also contribute to shareholder aspirations, " he said.

Mike Galvin, Cisco manager

Dermot Mannion, Aer Lingus
CEO WARNS AGAINST TAXES ON FLIGHTS

"I DON'T think there's any basis for that at all, especially in an island nation. Air travel is absolutely critical here in a way that it's perhaps not as critical in Europe and even the UK now, where they have the Channel tunnel, " he said.

The UK introduced a levy on flights but so far at least there's no plan for a tax here.

"We need to remind ourselves that aviation in total only contributes 2% of the carbon footprint worldwide."

The aviation sector is naturally nervous about the prospects of the Greens in power at a time when carbon emissions from aircraft have become a major environmental issue. Aer Arann is taking the most relaxed attitude.

"I think our approach is that we welcome any changes that come in that are of benefit to consumers and the environment, " said marketing manager Michael O'Callarain.

O'Callarain said the airline could take such a laid-back view because its aircraft generated fewer emissions than those of its competitors.

"The advantage we have is that we are flying shorter distances, lower in the atmosphere with less of a fuel burn than jet aircraft."

DON'T SCRAP PLANNING PARTICIPATION FEE

FAUGHNAN hopes a Green Party manifesto pledge to scrap the planning fee is off the table.

"The Irish Property Owners' Association welcomes a more open, user-friendly, transparent planning process which will make life easier for its members, but would not be in favour of the abolition of the 20 participation fee, which will encourage nuisance objectors, " said Faughnan. "We would also like to see grants available for improving the energy efficiency of rental property which will benefit tenants and reduce emissions."

Stephen Faughnan, IPOA chairman

Padraig Walshe, IFA president
FOOD MILES CARBON TAX WOULD HELP FARMERS

WALSHE tentatively welcomes Green Party proposals on a carbon tax, but claims new concessions by EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson in trade talks with Brazil will hurt Irish and European farming to the tune of 20bn.

"The Greens should be interested in this, as beef production is shifting from places like the west of Ireland to the Amazonian rain forest, and areas the size of Munster are being cleared there every year. This adds to the overall carbon footprint of our foods."

He said supermarkets cannot fulfil their aims of becoming carbon neutral by selling cheap South American meat.

KINGSPAN PLEASED, OTHERS CAUTIOUS

THE construction industry is surprisingly positive about proposals on energy-efficient homes, one of the Greeninspired policies in the new government's policy platform.

The proposed regulations will require new homes to be 40% more energy efficient in the medium term, with a longterm goal of 60%.

A spokesman for McInerney Homes, one of the state's Construction industry biggest home-builders, welcomed the regulation, saying the company aimed to improve the energy efficiency of its homes.

"We welcome the initiative to improve energy efficiency on a national level and we think it is important there's a consistency in the regulations for all new homes."

Sources said the measure would significantly improve building standards across the industry, where some builders have been deliberately building less energy-efficient homes to undercut their rivals in price terms.

"At the moment, people don't generally plump for more energy efficient houses even though they may like to, " said one industry figure.

The most enthusiastic supporter of the new measures, however, is Kingspan, which unveiled Britain's first official carbon-neutral home at Britain's BRE off-site exhibition last week.

Sources said that in general, the more severe the environmental legislative change, the more it suited the company. It is also understood to have a relaxed attitude to any future carbon taxes because its production techniques are not heavily reliant on fossil fuels.

'THEY'RE OFF THEIR HEADS'

THE state's taxi drivers are already preparing a challenge to one of the main elements of Green Party policy to be incorporated into the programme for government: a commitment to make all city taxis wheelchair-accessible.

"They're off their heads. We can't even achieve that through Europe. We might get to 20% if the government supports it but this proposal is so impractical, it isn't funny, " said Gorman, president of the National Taxi Drivers Union.

Gorman also said that because wheelchair-accessible taxis are bigger than standard cars, the plan would probably lead to an increase in emissions from taxis.

"If you look at it, we've become a cruising industry due to the fact that we've less taxi rank spaces per taxi than before. So you have all these vehicles cruising around looking for business and if you make them larger, there will be more emissions."

Gorman said the number of wheelchair-accessible taxis had actually declined in recent years as a proportion of the overall taxi fleet due to the high costs of running them and licensing changes made during deregulation.

There are now 1,300 wheelchair accessible taxis, out of an entire fleet of around 17,500, compared to 1,000 out of a 3,900-strong fleet at the time of taxi deregulation in 2001.

"No one will enter the market. In fact, many are selling their cars. The only ones keeping them are those with special contracts with the state. It's just not a valid proposition for drivers, " he said.

Gorman said the main difficulty faced by drivers was the high purchase cost of wheelchair-accessible taxis, which are essentially specially modified vans and cost between 38,000 and 65,000.

He said the NTDU had suggested to the previous government that it abolish VAT and VRT on these vehicles but that its proposal was rejected.

He said he had little confidence that the new government would reverse that. He added that taxi drivers had no problems with the spirit of the plan.

"These people need these services and should have them."

FEARS AN INDUSTRY REGULATOR

WATERS welcomed the Green Party's focus on waste strategy and the waste industry in general, and added that the Greens' drive to increase recycling would ultimately be good for his sector.

Waters is not keen on an idea floated by the Greens for a waste industry regulator. His proposal is for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take a more proactive and centralised role, superseding regional waste management strategies with a centralised approach.

"My main problem is with local authorities being the bodies that hand out waste collection permits when they are in the business themselves."

Waters urged the Greens to look specifically at how local authorities in Dublin try to influence private waste collectors to deposit refuse in their facilities outside the city.

Panda has a contract with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown council and has its own facilities outside the city.

Waters said he would support Green plans for a directly elected mayor of Dublin if the mayor "could help create a level playing field. Local authorities cannot be waste collectors and regulators".

Eamon Waters, MD, Panda Waste

ELECTED MAYOR SHOULD HAVE TRANSPORT ROLE

QUIN called for the Dublin Transport Authority to be brought within the mayor's remit and for the new office to Gina Quin, Dublin Chamber CEO have "real teeth" in terms of transport coordination.

"The operators of CIE, of Luas, the people who will ultimately run the metro, and National Roads Authority's responsibilities in Dublin could be co-ordinated by the mayor for a proper programme of transport development."

Quin suggested an elected mayor could also oversee adequate energy supplies for Dublin, a waste management strategy, streamlined urban planning with set timescales, and technology infrastructure such as broadband provision.

An estimated budget in excess of 36bn would be necessary to execute these plans.

Quin was not so enthusiastic on Green party plans for a carbon tax.

"Carbon rules should be defined by the EU. Ireland should be making a contribution to the future of our planet, but we shouldn't do anything that damages our competitiveness."

BLOOD SPORT BAN WOULD BE DEVASTATING

"IF it becomes government policy to introduce an animal welfare bill, it will send shockwaves throughout not just hunting but farming and agriculture too, " said Power.

He believes a Green Party manifesto commitment to ban blood sports would be "devastating" for the ancillary businesses that surround field sports, worth an estimated 75m to the economy.

"Fianna Fail would take a terrible hit in rural areas if they went through with this, " he added.

Dickie Power, Irish Hunting Association

GREENS COULD MAKE GOOD ON PROMISES

GREEN business has little to fear from the arrival of the Green Party in government, according to John Mullins, chief executive of Irish bioenergy firm Bioverda.

Mullins said Green parties had a positive influence in other countries, notably Germany, where they helped introduce forward-thinking climate change policies.

"To be fair to the previous government, they did produce a national climate change strategy and bioenergy strategy. What the Greens may be able to provide, however, is implementation, " he said. "Policy is all very well but what is needed is the mechanisms to make it happen and we've had difficulties there in the past."

Mullins said he hoped this wouldn't be repeated and that the Greens would push the new government to implement the two national strategies.

"One big shock in the oil market at the moment will have a bigger effect in Ireland than anywhere else, " he said.

"Without sustainable energy sources, we're going to be in a more and more precarious position."

John Mullins, Bioverna MD