Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone and apologise for missing some of the contributions. I was in and out because it is a busy day on a Wednesday.

I apologise if some of the questions have been asked. Last week, I asked around retrofitting. Does the current quality of retrofitting match European standards and is it future-proofed so we do not have to redo the project? What are the present standards around new builds in the context of climate proofing?

On a question for the Department on public buildings, what spark can it deliver to try to future-proof all capital investment around climate change? As the Chair mentioned, new schools are being built that will probably require retrofitting and there is an acceleration of capital investment. When will the Department be able to tell the Oireachtas that it is climate-proofing everything that is happening around public investment? Is a legislative framework required for that, given it is a complex piece? It has to happen if we are to flip the balance around this. The expected continuous capital investment will require proper climate-proofing. The witnesses might answer those questions.