Dr. Ciaran Byrne:

The Deputy is right. There is a revised energy poverty strategy in production at the moment. I am not entirely sure if it is has been completed yet, but it is being developed. On the schemes themselves, we have a very significant target. We have identified 500,000 B2-rated homes by 2030. A budget of €8 billion has been allocated to achieve that target. Half of that budget, €4 billion, is to go to the energy-poor sector. That, in itself, ring-fences that sector. Homes that meet a number of different eligibility criteria will be able to achieve that. Those homeowners get fully funded. Their retrofit, predominately as we move on and go to a B2 level, will be funded by the State. It is fair to say that half of the entire budget will go towards the energy-poor sector.

There is another subgroup in the can-pay sector, and we touched on this earlier. There are certain people who can afford a retrofit right now because they have the means and resources. There are other people who, for various reasons, do not apply for the fully funded scheme, but who are in the can-pay sector. Within that context, we are looking at and are in the process of developing a low-interest Government-backed loan scheme to allow them to be able to fund their own retrofit. The Minister also recently announced significantly enhanced grant levels for attic and cavity insulation. That figure is up to 80%. Those two measures alone are relatively quick, easy to do and can have a very significant impact on the energy and thermal performance of a home. We are taking that important principle on board. It is part of the climate action plan and the just transition that we make sure nobody is being left behind.