I understood it was Questions Nos. 98, 102 and 109.

Sentiment score: 0.00

Perhaps the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will give me guidance as to which of the three have an opportunity now or what way does he want it.

Sentiment score: 0.48

That disappoints me greatly as you have been a mentor of mine for many years here and I depend on your guidance in many other fora as well. I propose to take Questions Nos. 108, 112 and 119. The programme for Government commits to ramping up the achievement of retrofit targets through continued delivery of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's residential and community energy upgrade schemes. This includes revising and improving the provision of grants and financing models for homeowners who wish to retrofit to enhance energy efficiency and reduce costs, supporting group retrofitting projects and area-based approaches to retrofitting, targeting older homes still using oil to switch to renewable heating systems and considering the use of sustainable bioliquids to reduce emissions from existing home boilers where deep retrofits are not possible in the short term. These commitments are framing the work under way by my Department on continued delivery and development of the SEAI's residential and community energy upgrade schemes and the development of a heat policy statement and a roadmap to phase out fossil fuel heating systems. The SEAI has a number of schemes in place to support homeowners to upgrade their properties and move to renewable heating systems, thereby allowing homeowners to choose the best home upgrade option to suit their particular needs. These include a number of part-funded schemes and the fully funded warmer homes scheme. Ensuring fairness to all and supporting a just transition are key principles underpinning the National Retrofit Plan. As an example of delivering on this, over the period 2022 to 2024, 64% of the total Government spend on residential and community retrofitting across our Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage's schemes was invested in upgrading home energy performance for households at risk of energy poverty across privately owned, local authority and approved housing body homes. The Department continues to build on the progress achieved in recent years. Since 2019 there has been a record level of about €1.6 billion invested in SEAI schemes to support almost 240,000 home energy upgrades, including over 81,000 to BER B2, 18,000 heat pump installations and over 32,000 fully-funded upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty under the warmer homes scheme, which many of us are familiar with through the representations we get in our constituencies. In addition, the Department funded a further 14,300 local authority upgrades, including over 7,250 heat pumps, between 2019 to 2024. Changes introduced to the SEAI schemes in recent years aimed at increasing the number of homes retrofitted as part of the Government's retrofitting schemes include: enhanced SEAI grant schemes, including expanded eligibility and higher grants; simplified application processes with faster approvals and a greater focus on heat pumps; an increased number of one-stop shops - there were 24 registered at the start of 2025 and a further two were added this year, bringing the overall total to 26 at the end of September 2025; a reformed warmer homes scheme for homeowners in energy poverty with expanded eligibility, increased depth of retrofit, a prioritisation of the worst performing homes and a higher number of homes supported; enhanced supports for retrofitting apartment buildings and flat complexes; new supports for area-based retrofit projects for mixed-ownership estates aimed at encouraging homeowners, regardless of requirements or means, to get a retrofit; a new pilot scheme to support the retrofitting of traditionally built homes; two pilot schemes aimed at informing approaches to increase the number of heat pumps installed; the new home energy upgrade loan scheme, launched last year with new lenders joining in 2025, is now enabling homeowners to avail of retrofit loans with interest rates as low as 2.99%; a tax incentive to encourage small-scale landlords to undertake retrofitting works while the tenant remains in situ; a reduction in the VAT rate for heat pumps to 9% and a 0% rate for solar panels - we all see how that has expanded the amount of solar energy that is now being captured on rooftops.; expanded obligations on energy companies to support homeowners and energy poor households to reduce energy use; measures to increase the number of workers with retrofit skills; and a procurement process to establish a new €1.2 billion contractor panel for the warmer homes scheme to be in place in by quarter 2 next year. This will support continued growth with a focus on scale, quality and output under the scheme. Budget 2026 has provided record funding of €558 million for SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes next year. This is an increase of almost €89 million on the budget 2025 allocation. This funding is expected to be further supplemented with additional funding, such as an allocation from the European Regional Development Fund, which will provide for an increase in the allocation for the warmer home scheme. These allocations will be published as part of the Revised Estimates Volume later. This allocation will support even more home energy upgrades to make homes warmer, healthier and more comfortable, with lower emissions and lower bills. Increasing the uptake of energy efficiency upgrades and measures among homeowners is a key priority for our Department and as such, our officials, in partnership with their counterparts in the SEAI, continue to work to deliver in line with the National Retrofit Plan and the programme for Government commitments.

Sentiment score: 0.43

Both Deputies show regular interest in this and have spoken on it in the past. The point about not leaving anybody behind is really important and it has been the focus. Deputy Cronin and I, and her party, are aligned on lots of issues. I sat with Deputy Stanley, a former member of her party, on that committee for years and certainly Sinn Féin was very committed to the transition, but we disagreed ultimately on how to pay for it. We sided with the idea of the carbon tax, the hypothecation of that fund and using that to assist people in moving forward. Sinn Féin had a different view but nonetheless recognised the importance of ensuring nobody was left behind. I felt at the time, and still do, that the carbon charge was a way of discouraging the long-term use of fossil fuels and taking that as a methodology to assist exactly the people the Deputy spoke about. What I outlined to her indicates, particularly with the warmer homes scheme, what we have done for people with low incomes, namely, classifying them as in the energy poverty category and targeting that. The issue Deputy McGrath described has been raised with me, the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, on a very regular basis. Deputy McGrath and others have mentioned it in the House. The Minister is very cognisant of that and my understanding is he is working towards bringing some reforms in this area. We would all like to do a deep retrofit that would get us in line. Most of us cannot afford it. We are paying our mortgages or are working our way through that. Windows and doors and a little bit of insulation can have a massive impact on emissions from homes, on reducing the cost of energy and on reducing the burden on society generally from the emissions and the generation of electricity and the difficulties around that. I will certainly take that point back to the Minister but he has already begun a process there.

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I thank the Deputy-----

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I am eager.

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I am very anxious. I am nervous.

Sentiment score: -0.29

Deputy Cronin highlighted the significant cost of energy and the impact it is having on households. We have certainly seen that. The Government has taken action, as the Deputy will be aware, by increasing the fuel allowance from the beginning of the year. We reduced the VAT, which is a help in addressing the burden, but we have to get to the core cost. I answered a question earlier about the efforts that have to be made in terms of the wholesale energy markets and the price of gas. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, on the direction of the Minister, is carrying out an investigation to establish whether there are issues with the market and whether there is potential for failures in the market. The International Energy Agency, IEA, indicated that the difference between the wholesale and retail cost is considerable and widening, particularly in the gas market and that sets energy prices generally. We are therefore looking at it from that perspective. However, the long-term approach is to try to ensure we move away from fossil fuels altogether and reduce the amount of energy needed in homes. I have already outlined the kind of approach we are taking to ensure people who are not in a position to do that upgrade get the State's support. I thank Deputy McGrath for his comments. It is twofold. It is about having people in healthier, warmer homes that are less dependent on fossil fuels or even on renewable energy. If we can make the homes lose less energy, they will use less electricity and there will be less cost regardless of whether the energy is clean or otherwise. That is why the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, takes the view that this can be done incrementally and we can make progress. It cannot be that people have to do everything at once, because that is a turn-off for people financially. When they get to other side, having paid their mortgage, they often do not want to take on more debt so we will continue with that.

Sentiment score: 0.21