Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the chapter on nearly zero energy buildings, NZEB, there is a target for public buildings and dwellings. Does the Minister know how many public buildings are under construction or completed which meet the specifications of the energy performance of buildings directive of 2018? On what date precisely did this come in? I hope it covers the new development or construction of the new children's hospital and the two satellites at Tallaght and Blanchardstown, which is the biggest construction for health in the history of the State. I happen to live next door to it and would like to know if they are included in the energy performance or did they just miss it? It would have been prudent to include them because this plan has been on the table for some time.

The warmth and well-being insulation grants and the various other schemes have been rolled out successfully in Dublin South Central. We need to do this more quickly and a lot more of it – there are millions of homes to be retrofitted, apart from the new buildings. The criteria for the grant are quite limited. Could the Minister include or expand those criteria to include age, for the most senior of our citizens, who are those most affected by ill-health? Cold, poor insulation and fuel poverty have a detrimental effect on their health. While people are struggling and money is tight, they become more green aware, even though the priority is the food on the table. They want to play their part. There must be some incentive for people to carry out that green wish, whatever it may be. Certainly that urgency is beginning to be felt, not just among those who have the money and leisure to do it but also those who find that money is tight and hard to come by. We need to encourage their green awareness.