Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I should have mentioned that the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Canney, will be taking the two programmes that follow. The key element in programme C is support for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI. Much work regarding energy does not appear in the Estimates, however. Examples include work done in setting a new goal for renewable energy on our grid or supporting the evolution of the grid to meet our ambitions for microgeneration or renewables. There is no direct support from the Exchequer so that is not included in our Estimates. It is, however, part of the national development plan and significant investment is envisaged. What is in the Estimates is concerned more with the activities of the SEAI. It has significant supports of which I think most Deputies will be aware. Those include the better energy homes scheme, the better energy warmer homes scheme, the deep retrofit pilot, the solar scheme and certain schemes aimed at the enterprise sector such as the excellence in energy efficiency design, EXEED, programme for the large industry energy network.

The other initiative I always like to plug is the better energy community programme because it has the most bang for our buck in terms of impact on carbon emissions. I know County Tipperary has a particular interest in this area because a very successful community scheme has been developed there. Overall, there are 256 sustainable energy communities. Some have gone the more in-depth route of being a better energy community, which involves a higher level of investment.

They are really valuable schemes and it should be our ambition to expand them in the years ahead. The other thing worth mentioning is that the programme provides €18.6 million to support the purchase of new electric vehicles. The Deputy will have seen that there has been quite a surge in interest in the purchase of new electric vehicles since the beginning of the year. The final piece to which I wish to draw the Deputy's attention is the figure of €9.7 million for energy research.