Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A sum of €28 million has been transferred from the savings made in the National Broadband Ireland plan. Some €160 million was paid into the energy efficient national fund in 2021. There are three components. There is improved access to residential retrofit projects for low-income households and households living in poverty; establishing a new residential retrofit loan guarantee scheme for the provision of low-cost loans for residential retrofit projects; and increasing the number of houses retrofitted through other residential community energy efficiency scheme, especially the soon to be launched national retrofit scheme.

Members, including, probably, the Minister of State, are regularly contacted by people asking what scheme they qualify for, what it covers, where they should apply, when they will secure approval, how much they will get and how quickly they will be able to do the works under the scheme. Funding of €160 million is great, but when does this come into play for the ordinary person sitting at home? There is huge buy-in among the general public to make their homes more energy efficient and, by definition, more carbon efficient. When will these measures come into being?