Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I might pick up on Deputy O'Rourke's line of questioning with respect to heat. If we need to go into private session, we can do that because the Minister's officials might be best placed to answer. By the way, I am advised by the clerk to the committee that privilege only extends to the Minister, as the guest, and not to his guests who he has brought in. That is why we would have to go into private session to speak directly with the officials.

One of the actions in last year's climate action plan was to publish the national heat policy statement in Q3 of this year. We do not have it yet and we do not know when the public consultation on that might be. That is a critically important piece of work given the challenge of heat in decarbonising our economy. Good work was done last year by the SEAI in its national heat study and this was the follow on from that. Where are we with that?

A detailed roadmap for accelerating the phase-out of fossil-fuel heating in all buildings was promised in last year's climate action plan and that is due in Q4 of this year. If we are on target, it would be in the next few weeks. Where are we with that? Will it include an end date for the installation of oil and gas boilers in new buildings and also in buildings that are undergoing warmer homes scheme retrofits?