Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will stop Mr. Armstrong on that point. I raised the question with the Minister in the Chamber and he gave me that figure. Some of those cases were just the provision of attic insulation. The windows in the house may have been single-glazed aluminium and we might have been better taking the roof off the house. That is if we do not do the windows or insulate the walls, either with external or pumped insulation. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, told me the figures and I said it was not good enough to fit one door or window in a house that is cold, damp and 80 years old. It is a waste of time if we do not retrofit the houses properly.

This is not a criticism of the Department because what it is doing is really important. I just want the work done properly and a complete retrofit is the way forward. I did not mean to interrupt but the Minister gave that reply about a month ago and I said the same to him. Where I come from in Gurranabraher the houses are 80 or 90 years old. That is in Farranree, Churchfield and Noonan's Road. These people do not have years to be waiting and their houses are cold now.