86. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the measures he is taking to increase the number of homes retrofitted as part of the Government's retrofitting scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6770/25]

Sentiment score: 0.01

The retrofitting scheme is clearly not working. We need to increase the number of homes that are retrofitted as part of the Government's retrofitting scheme. Will the Minister please discuss this? Many people are locked out of the scheme - those who need it most in particular - because of the way it is structured. According to a survey in December, many people cannot afford to retrofit their homes because of costs.

Sentiment score: 0.22

The programme for Government, which I think the Minister referenced, hinted at an area-based element - another proposal Sinn Féin had. Will the Minister provide more detail about this and how he plans to target low income households, many of which are excluded? Will there be targeting based on income, as we put forward in our fairer retrofit plan? A woman from Dingle contacted me to say how bitterly disappointed she was over the refusal of the SEAI grant. She waited 18 months in total only to be told, based on the report, that she had been refused. She was not pension age, which is why she would not qualify, she said. The SEAI never contacted her, just sent on the report. It is failing to deliver on the 2030 targets. The Government is supposed to retrofit 500,000 homes and install 400,000 heat pumps but it is way off the targets. Those on the warmer homes scheme barely get a look in when it comes to these targets because the average uplift is BER C3. Only 49 households were fitted with a heat pump as part of the warmer homes scheme. That is inadequate. The Government has finally acknowledged this. I acknowledge there have been some improvements. Will the Minister outline in particular how he will target low-income homes?

Sentiment score: -0.09

Anybody who canvassed last month, whether in Dublin, Clare, Mayo, Galway or Kerry will know that the people dependent on solid fuel are those with the lowest of incomes. This scheme still fails to deal with solid fuel homes. Many people are left out in the cold as a result. Solid fuel homes are also linked to higher health risks. Those with open fires are twice as likely to have respiratory diseases. Unlike the Government, which has zero measures to address these specific homes, we have repeatedly called for targeted measures as part of the fairer retrofit plan. These homes are often the poorest and most carbon-intensive, more likely to be located in rural areas and are more common in households aged over 50. We are interested in a just transition but the Government seems content to leave these workers behind. Does the Government have plans to incorporate and target solid fuel homeowners in particular in the retrofitting scheme?

Sentiment score: -0.10