Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Naughten's Department is going to be very busy after all this. It seems we might have to have his officials back again. This has been a very interesting meeting, although it has also been somewhat depressing. The initial submission read very well but it is actually a work of fiction.

It reads as if this is fantastic but, when one gets down to it, that is not what emerges. I will be the fourth Deputy to ask about the refurbishment of the existing housing stock. The Department has outlined that 30% of housing stock is more than 50 years old and that this will be refurbished to B2 standard. How much will that cost? The Department will not give a timeframe or indicate how long it will take. It says that it depends on the budgetary process. The Department must know how much it will cost. Will it tell us how much it will cost and how long it will take to complete?

On offshore wind, and I will be the third Deputy to ask about this, when was legal advice sought? On the role of local authorities and the Tipperary energy body - I cannot remember its exact name - Mr. McCarthy again said that the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment would be responsible for whether this would be rolled out to other local authorities. What role does the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government actually have in terms of local authorities? Will Mr. McCarthy expand on that because it seems the Department does not have any role? Will he expand on that issue because it would be very interesting to hear more about it? Surely the Department, as the governing body for local authorities, could instruct local authorities to roll out this function. While the local authorities might have to seek funding from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, but surely the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government could exhort them to do this. The Department provides circulars and sets regulations and planning guidelines, all of which must be consistent with the national planning framework. It has the role of reviewing local authority development plans. An Bord Pleanála is also under the Department. Given that it is in charge of development and such matters, the Department must have some role in determining whether the local authorities will deal with this issue.

On Part L regulations and the future-proofing of housing, the Department stated that these changes have been flagged since 2006 or for ten years. I went on Donegal County Council's website yesterday while preparing for this meeting to look at current planning applications for housing. Of the nine applications covering 11 houses, which I was only able to briefly look at in the time available, only one would comply with the regulations the Department is talking about. As far as I can make out, and Mr. McCarthy will advise me if I am wrong, ten of those 11 houses had at least two chimneys. As I understand it, that would not comply with the regulations the Department is talking about. They also have solid fuel heating. If we have been preparing for these regulations for ten years, why is that the case? These are applications on which Donegal County Council has not yet decided. Why is that happening? What is the role of the Department if that is the case?

Mr. McCarthy said that 63% of all capital spending on climate change comes from non-Exchequer funding. Where will the other 37% come from? How much will come from Mr. McCarthy's Department? How will it be spent?

We want to encourage people not to develop in rural locations. The rural development we have has been used as an excuse for not complying with climate change targets. The Department, however, is not doing anything to encourage people to move into towns and villages. Even in the small towns and villages such as are found in my area or in any area of the country, nothing is done to encourage development to take place or to encourage people to develop in the town as an alternative to developing outside of those areas. What is being done in practice in that regard? Does the Department have any role in that regard?