Mr. Pat Barry:

The oversight is challenging for the SEAI because it is a very large programme. On the one hand you have contractors who would say their current auditing is quite difficult and they struggle with the oversight. It may need a reforming of the way it is done and maybe transitioning it more towards having more professionals involved in renovation. One of the big barriers to having professionals involved is if you take the VAT rate on professional services, it is 23% versus 13%. It is very difficult to get homeowners to get proper professional advice because the advice itself ends up being quite expensive, so there is a tendency to go directly to approved contractors. It is a combination of improving the regulatory oversight, having more construction professionals involved in the process and not going directly to the contractor to do this renovation. I do not think it ever works when contractors are working on their own. You always need good oversight. A professional is looking building by building at what exactly suits this building, what measures suit this particular home, what type of insulation is needed for this home and he or she is seeing what the contractor is doing.