Ms Rebecca Minch:

I have a couple of brief points. It is clear there is a strong understanding in the room of what has to be done and the sheer scale of it. We are working hard on understanding how that should be done. We are mindful, as are the Deputies and Senators, that ultimately it is about people deciding to act. It is not just about the technical measures we put in place to be carried out. I refer to the capacity we build among different sections of the economy and society to make that decision to act. Then there will be the opportunity to undertake work in our homes and our businesses.

That is why we are seeing a really important shift occurring in how incentives are designed. I will give one example of how this is tapping into the level of demand people have rightly pointed out is needed. I refer to the warmth and well-being scheme we got going in 2016. It is a joint policy initiative between our Department and the Department of Health to provide comprehensive energy efficiency upgrades to the homes of people at risk of energy poverty but also suffering from chronic respiratory problems. We put together the criteria for the scheme in co-operation with the Department of Health and on the advice of the HSE. It is jointly delivered by SEAI and the HSE, hence the importance of the supply chain as Mr. Gannon pointed out. The critical lesson being learned - and this is an important issue for all of us to remember - is the importance of supporting people in their decisionmaking. I refer to supporting the client then on his or her journey through what can be quite a significant undertaking, particularly in their own homes.

To be frank, while that might sound quite soft, it is proving to be the catalyst that could really unlock this. When we put those measures in place - those kinds of supports for warmth and well-being - that is been carried out in a relatively small geographical area among a very specific cohort of people. By the end of this year, we will have upgraded a thousand homes. We are on course to spend €20 million over the three years of the pilot programme. When people hear about this through intermediaries they trust and see as independent, and they are supported by the SEAI and the HSE on the journey, the response is there. That tells us much about how we need to go about this. Providing that kind of support is obviously demanding on the system.

I will briefly address the public sector. There is no basis for complacency but it is important to note that, based on the robust data gathered and analysed by the SEAI, we know the public sector has improved its energy efficiency by 20% since the baseline of 2009. That is the national target. It has achieved that already. It shows the importance of the public sector getting out in front. The emphasis in the public sector has been a great deal on the built environment. There is no doubt that there are huge opportunities in transport with public sector fleets. That is something we know we need to get at and we are working closely with colleagues in transport. That is definitely going to be the next chapter in that work.