Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta for his question. My Department funds a number of grant schemes administered by the SEAI for solar PV and heat pump installation as part of the national retrofit plan. To the end of September 2025, over 41,500 home energy upgrades had been completed with SEAI grant support. That compares with 38,000 in the same period in 2024, 34,000 in 2023, 16,062 in 2022, 9,938 in 2021 and 12,573 in 2020. That represents 10% growth on last year and 22% on 2023, showing strong momentum. I acknowledge that the approval and completion timelines remain a challenge. We are particularly focused on deep retrofits and the warmer homes scheme. Average wait times, as acknowledged earlier in the House, remain high because the works are complex and demand is strong. We will continue to invest in skilled workers, more contractors and streamlined processes. We are also taking action including simplification of the application process. We are expanding the one-stop shop, which now comprises over 26 contractors, the home energy improvement loan, with rates of 2.99%, and building capacity, which must grow to meet current demand. Budget 2026 also provided €558 million, an 89% increase, that will be supplemented with ERDF funding. On the specific data in regard to ramping up delivery, we hope by 2030 that targets of over 500,000 B2 retrofits and over 400,000 heat pumps will be delivered.
Sentiment score: 0.37
I thank the Deputy for his question and for outlining the challenges faced by some homeowners. We are looking at continuing policy development in regard to the national retrofit plan. In recent years, significant changes have been introduced as part of the retrofitting scheme. One part of that was a new pilot to support the retrofitting of traditional built homes. I will work with the Deputy on the specific instance he has raised. We have also introduced two pilots aimed at informing approaches to increase the number of heat pumps installed. We know as demand increases a lot of the traditional built homes that may have conservation challenges will become a lot more expensive to retrofit. We are working at streamlining the processes. If there are examples that the Deputy wants to share with us, we certainly will work with SEAI and try to build them into a broader programme that meets the needs of everyone throughout the country.
Sentiment score: 0.21
Over 41,500 upgrades have been completed so far this year. We have been building momentum. I do not have the numbers on hand for traditional built housing, but I certainly can get that back to the Deputy. As I said earlier, we need more skills and contractors and better supply chain resilience. That is why we are very much focused on more SEAI staff for the warmer homes scheme, and indeed, more one-stop shop operators. It is at 26 already. To the Deputy's point, it needs to be ensured that all homes are included. To get that specific skill set and expertise is something we can go to back to SEAI on and revert to the Deputy on. We will get the figures to the Deputy around warmer home retrofits for traditional homes.
Sentiment score: 0.22
I thank the Deputy for the question. The Government, my Department and the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, are fully committed to protecting our rivers, safeguarding our fish stocks and supporting local communities and anglers. I fully recognise and acknowledge the seriousness of the fish kill on the River Blackwater near Mallow. This event has had a major impact on local community anglers and the wider catchment. From the outset, the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, was in regular contact with Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Cork County Council, local councillors and Oireachtas Members in the area. He has visited this site twice and established an interagency group to co-ordinate, investigate and respond. The investigation concluded in September by IFI on behalf of the interagency group set up to co-ordinate the investigation. The report is published on the IFI's website. The report provides a clear account of the State's response to and the investigation into the incident. The incident conclusively rules out systemic disease, water quality issues and licensed discharge. Evidence pointed to a short-lived waterborne irritant that dissipated before it could be traced as a source. While it is regrettable that no specific cause was found, I assure the House that this was not due to a lack of effort or action but because the event was transient. The Minister of State and the Department are satisfied that every avenue was investigated with over 40 site inspections, 900 chemical screens, pathology tests and extensive monitoring, sampling and surveys were carried out by the interagency group. The priority is now to apply lessons learned from this event, strengthen enforcement and build resilience to ensure that we are better prepared to prevent and respond to any such further incidents. On that note, IFI has commenced the process of formalising a joint protocol with other relevant State agencies to address significant future pollutant events that result in fish kill. This will ensure that a combined emergency response will be deployed as quickly as possible to mitigate the effects of significant pollution discharge that impacts fish and their habitats.
Sentiment score: 0.06
I thank the Deputy for her focus and attention along with her colleagues on this matter. It is the responsibility of Inland Fisheries Ireland to continue to safeguard the fish stock and the habitat within the River Blackwater near Mallow. The Minister of State is extensively engaging on the management plan moving into the future regarding this significant incident. As the Deputy said, three key measures have been established: the joint emergency protocol, the independent review and we and the Minister of State are examining legislative amendments to strengthen IFI's enforcement powers and to ensure that we continue to work with other agencies regarding future and faster responses in the context of the significant incidents that occurred in Cork. The Deputy can be assured that my Department and all of its officials working with IFI are very much focused on what the learnings will be and how we can implement them into any future responses.
Sentiment score: 0.49
We need to be very careful identifying ----
Sentiment score: 0.22
-----specific entities here in the House without the right to reply.
Sentiment score: 0.00
In fairness, we need to be very careful of the language we use regarding the extensive investigation that was undertaken around the ongoing monitoring of the River Blackwater and other catchments. It is incumbent on us to ensure this is done through an evidence-based, fact-finding mission. We are reassured that no water quality issues have been detected. We have also ensured that the river remains safe for angling and recreation. We have also monitored the drinking water for the Mallow treatment plant. That has been confirmed as safe and, indeed, we are taking significant measures in how we can make our system stronger, faster and more resilient to protect fish stock and the habitat.
Sentiment score: 0.34
I thank the Deputy for his question. Our Department is very committed to helping households cut energy, reduce emissions and generate their own clean power. Grants of up to €1,800 are available through the SEAI for solar photovoltaic, PV, installations in homes built and occupied before 2021. Since 2022, over 90,000 homes have received grants totalling over €196.7 million, delivering 450 MW of installed capacity and saving over 93 kt of CO2. This high demand shows the scheme is working and the solar industry has scaled up to meet market needs. Homes built since 2021 must comply with Part 11 of the building regulations which set high energy performance standards. Builders can meet these requirements by installing heat pumps and-or solar PV during construction, which is typically cheaper than retrofitting. New builds, therefore, already enjoy significantly higher energy efficiency compared to older homes. In addition, since May 2023 the VAT rate for solar PV installation in private dwellings was reduced to zero. This applies to new builds as well as existing homes. There are no plans to change the eligibility criteria at this stage but the scheme will be kept under review. Meanwhile, households can benefit from the clean export guarantee which pays for the excess electricity exported to the grid. The rate is currently between 15 cent and 25 cent per kilowatt, depending on suppliers. The Government is also investing record funding of over €550 million in budget 2026 to support energy upgrades, including solar PV and the national retrofit plan. As we are making it easier and cheaper for households to install solar PV through grants, zero VAT and export payments, we will also ensure newer buildings meet high energy standards from day one.
Sentiment score: 0.32
I thank the Deputy and understand the merits of the question on affordability and the challenges people may encounter when building homes. However, the grant eligibility for solar PV is very much focused on older homes where the need is greatest. Many homes built since 2021 must comply, as I said in my earlier contribution, with Part L of the building regulations and require high energy performance. Many builders have included heat pumps or solar PV during construction. Indeed, it reduces the overall installation cost because if it is not included in a new build, the costs will be greater compared to retrofitting. We are very much focused on older buildings and, therefore, newer buildings already have a higher energy efficiency than others.
Sentiment score: 0.49
I again thank the Deputy for his response. We have already made changes to the uptake on solar PV installations. In May 2023, in order to bridge the affordability challenges we reduced the VAT rate to zero, which applies to new builds as well as existing homes. That was an important step forward. In doing so, we drove down the cost. As I said, retrofitting new homes on the basis that they will be eligible is not best practice for any builders, contractors or installers. The cost will be significantly greater. We will consider grant eligibility and that will be kept under review. At present, it is not intended to change the scheme. We have prioritised homes with the greatest need and over 90,000 homes have received grants extending to over €196 million.
Sentiment score: 0.18
My Department is committed to increasing recycling rates, reducing plastic waste and supporting investment in domestic recycling capacity. In 2023, Ireland recycled 30% of plastic packaging, exceeding the EU target of 22.5%. However, stricter targets of 50% by 2025 and 55% by 2030 will be challenging. These figures cover all plastics, including PET. As EU exporting reporting does not isolate individual polymers, currently most PET collected is recycled abroad due to economic viability, but measures are underway to change that. The deposit return scheme introduced in 2024 was a game changer, creating a high quality separate PET stream for recycling. Over 2 billion bottles and cans have been returned and there is a 76% return rate, close to the EU target of 77% by 2025. Under the single use plastic directive, PET plastic beverage bottles must include 25% recycled content from 2025, rising to 30% by 2030. This creates strong market demand for recycled PET and makes investment in Ireland's recycling infrastructure more attractive. Schemes like the deposit return scheme and Repak play a key role in meeting targets and supporting investment. Repak currently provides €100 per 10 tonnes of plastics recycled in Ireland and is working with industry to expand capacity. The forthcoming whole-of-government circular economy strategy will set ambitious targets to reduce resource use, increase reuse and drive innovation. My Department is working closely to create conditions for higher PET recycling rates through regulation, market incentives and investment in domestic capacity.
Sentiment score: 0.31
Re-Turn has done a tremendous job over the last 18 months since the deposit return scheme, DRS, was introduced. Re-Turn, and the composition of its company as part of the extended producer responsibility, EPR, in the delivery of the DRS, is not obliged under the company law Act to publish its salaries. In good faith, however, it does provide its annual report, as per our Department requirements, and we are very much working closely with it to try to ramp up the DRS. To date, it has been very successful. Over €2 billion euro in bottles and cans has been returned. The reality we face here in Ireland is that up to now, we have lacked a full bottle-to-bottle recycling facility and while some plants can produce polyethylene terephthalate, PET, flakes, specialist equipment for food grade recycling has not yet been available. Due to the success of the DRS, we now have a consistent supply of high-quality PET. This makes investment viable, and that is something we are working on into the future.
Sentiment score: 0.24
Again, we are working on how we can build additional capacity into our recycling systems to avoid the additional exportation of PET. I will say that Re-Turn has been good to work with. It is very efficient. It is a retail-led scheme. We have seen the success of it. It has been widely recognised. We are exploring avenues in regard to how we make use of the unredeemed deposits. The establishment of a recycling bottle-to-bottle plant will be an important part of how we deal with the additional consistent supply of high-quality PET, and it makes the investment viable. No decision has been made in that regard yet. We are working through that with Re-Turn, and we will make that decision known in due course.
Sentiment score: 0.11