Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. Just so we are clear, all this extra funding is about facilitating extra gas generators for the winter of 2023-24. We were strongly opposed to this idea. This is mainly because we think, even if we cannot do this immediately, we will be able to improve the situation in the near future when we get the answers. Most of these funds will be going to feed gas-guzzling data centres. I would like the Minister of State to address this allegation. I have gone to a great deal of trouble to find the facts regarding the number of data centres due to come onto the national grid that have already been given agreements, where they are based and what level of power they will be using. I think we will be proven to be right in the end that this endeavour is about facilitating extra data centre capacity on the national grid. That is quite shocking.

My question to the Minister of State is similar to the last query. On the Traveller community, I was glad to hear him make a commitment about halting sites regarding how they can receive grant funding as well. It should be done quickly rather than leaving it until the autumn or winter. People need that money now. The funding for the community and residential energy efficiency schemes comes from direct funding and from carbon tax revenues. As far as I remember regarding the €8 billion it is planned to spend on the retrofitting scheme overall to 2030, some €5 billion is to come from the carbon tax revenues. It is to be ring-fenced, hypothecated or whatever word the Minister of State used. Concerning what is being done now, some of the funds must be coming from the increase in the carbon tax. If the Minister of State can show me that is not the case, I will be delighted. I will ask the question directly. Will any of the funding we are going to spend on gas generators in the context of this community and residential retrofitting budget be coming from the increase in carbon tax or, indeed, any of the carbon tax revenues? If it is, then it is scandalous that this Government is willing to dip into a ring-fenced carbon tax fund for moneys that are going to be spent on gas-guzzling facilities that are high emitters of carbon dioxide.

According to the Department’s own plans, the level of funding for community and residential retrofitting schemes is to ramp up dramatically in the next few years. The targets in this regard, however, are heavily backloaded and promise great things in the years to come. My concern, though, is the here and now. What is the problem with spending the money on energy efficiency retrofitting schemes in the here and now? It is a relatively small amount of money in the bigger scale of things. We all have experience of people in our constituencies who cannot access this funding, for one reason or another. Obstacles are put in their way, but these people require this funding. The lower socio-economic groups really need access to funding to bring down their heating bills. What is the problem in providing access to that funding now? Is it a capacity issue? Will the Minister of State commit to these people getting their funding as soon as it is possible to get the companies that are able or willing to do the work needed? If we cannot spend the money this year, then what hope do we have in the coming years when we increase the capacity and funding to deliver on the targets for retrofitting?