The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Justice Minister will continue being driven around in diesel-­fuelled cars despite the Government's insistence that up to a million people should switch to electric or hybrid vehicles in the next decade.

Leo Varadkar, Simon Coveney and Charlie Flanagan all retain State cars and Garda drivers for security reasons as do the President, the Chief Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

An Garda Síochána said it had no plans to switch the ministerial fleet to electric, although it is currently piloting a "small number of electric vehicles".

"For operational and security reasons, there are no plans at this time to introduce electric vehicles to the ministerial fleet.

"This would require further specific evaluation to take into account the particulars of this duty," a Garda spokesman said.

Mr Varadkar's two State cars are both BMW 740s, which run on diesel. Mr Coveney's main car and second vehicle are both Audi A6Q models and run on diesel, as does the Justice Minister's car, a BMW 530.

Other Cabinet ministers are refusing to say if or when they will switch to electric or hybrid cars to fight climate change. Only Transport Minister Shane Ross and Climate Change Minister Richard Bruton have switched to environmentally friendly cars.

Irish Independent