Mr. Maurice Buckley:

The Department's 2017 report was the strategy document where the assessment was made. Based on the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, finding of 21% in the public building space versus the target of 33%, the report provides details by group of buildings. It provides a traffic light code showing which areas of the public sector will meet the target. For example, we are very confident that the OPW buildings we occupy we will meet the target. The target will be met in large parts of the agencies and the accommodation we provide. In some areas however, including some local authority facilities and Garda stations which are small, old buildings designed around other priorities, it will not be possible to reach the 33% target by 2020. For example, the figure for Garda stations is above 20%. That is higher than the national target, but it would take a phenomenal investment to get there. That was identified in the report and I mentioned it in my opening statement. As we discussed a moment ago, for the Government it is a question of prioritising where the available funding is to be put. If funding can be supplied to retrofit public buildings on a large scale, we can organise that. The question that must be asked is whether that funding is best applied to buildings, transport, agriculture or the various areas where we have to get the maximum impact on climate change. I am sure this has been the work of this committee for the last several weeks.