Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I would agree with Deputy Doherty on the benefits and advantages of deep retrofitting much of our housing stock across the country. He is right. Not enough has been done in the past. However, the energy retrofit scheme that was recently introduced has been cited at European level as one of the better and best designed energy retrofit schemes out there. These things take time. It takes time to build up the skill base. It takes time to advertise and it takes time to encourage people to take up the significant grants that are out there.

There are 100% grants under that scheme. At the moment, 400 homes per month are being retrofitted under that scheme. This is paid for in part by the carbon taxes that are raised, which Sinn Féin continually opposes yet includes in its budgets to spend. We have the 80% series range of benefits and retrofitting options for homes, with a grant of up to 80% for wall cavity insulation for thermostatic valves and other insulation measures in homes. There is also the grant of up to 50% for the full retrofit. It is a very comprehensive package and it is funded. It has signalled to the industry that there is a Government commitment to this industry and that we see the sense in retrofitting homes. Retrofitting homes benefits us in many ways, not just in the cost efficiency that accrues to the owner of that home, but also with a reduction of emissions, with health benefits, and with an increase in the value of the property. There are a number of reasons a retrofit makes a lot of sense. Ultimately, we should be moving to expand renewable energy so we can help people get off very expensive, polluting, and climate impacting fossil fuels such as gas, oil and home heating oil.

The Government has set out the policy that significantly increased our targets for renewable energy. Deputy Doherty should reflect on the Sinn Féin Private Members' Bill introduced last year that effectively would have eliminated onshore wind energy. Sinn Féin withdrew the Bill at the last minute, sensibly, which was the right thing to do. The Deputy should have a look at the facts around how much electricity is generated in Ireland, at the success we have had in renewable energy, at the Government's targets for future renewable energy, both onshore and offshore, and at the significant improvements we have made in grants for solar energy at domestic and utilities scale. That is the direction we should be going.