Mr. Jerry Mac Evilly:

We could have an entire conversation on the warmer homes scheme or the free energy upgrade scheme. There are very significant issues as regards waiting lists, as I am sure the Senator will know. In some of our research, we have also seen that many households fall just outside the eligibility criteria. We have specific recommendations as to how eligibility could be expanded. More broadly, in addition to our core recommendations on targeting retrofitting at those most at risk and at the worst homes and on aiming to upgrade all social housing in the coming years, standing back from our conversation today, there is a real need to review the mandates of all relevant Government bodies in this space, including the SEAI, the CRU, as was mentioned, and local authorities. We really recommend that, if it has not been done already, these relevant agencies should be brought before the committee to address the issue of energy poverty and the question of whether they consider their functions, mandates and capacity to be sufficient to adequately address these energy poverty challenges. It is also important that the committee's report include a recommendation for the functions and mandates of relevant bodies to be reviewed with a view to updating them where we see gaps.