Dr. Stjohn O'Connor:

Deputy Stanley is right. We would have seen quite a peak for the grants in 2010-2011. We would have seen approximately 45,000 applications over those two years. There is no doubt they have declined in recent years. It reflects a discussion we are having internally around this idea that we have done over 12% of the entire housing stock to include inconsistently occupied houses as well. We are still getting a consistent level of applications so it is still well north of 300 applications per week. It is just not at the level it was. The discussion we are having internally is about how we move away from the early adopters to a more mainstream approach. The programme for Government speaks very clearly about the transition from grants to sustainable financing mechanisms such as pay-as-you-save, so that is the work we are undertaking at the moment. It is something with which we are grappling. Undoubtedly, the economic environment has an influence to play. Homeowners must still find most of the money upfront. The idea is that if one transitions to a new initiative, one does not have to find that upfront capital investment but pays it back using the savings over an extended period of time. That is where we are going and what we are working towards.