Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We need to raise awareness of energy efficient stock. It is so important. I want to find out about some of the grants that are out there. I do not know whether the public is really aware of them. It is so important. Can Mr. Kenny set out the figures and say how much funding is drawn down to service these grants? Is there a lot of cash left over? Mr. Kenny spoke about new builds. How can we make our existing stock more efficient from a cost perspective? Whether it is local authority housing or older houses which are being bought, there is an issue. Can Mr. Kenny provides the figures and say whether all of the funding is being used up? Local authorities must put more emphasis on telling people about their entitlements. People who come to my clinics are sometimes unaware of these grants. While the local authority will always have the grants and be working on its own stock, we have older houses which people bought out over the years and it is very hard to get the grant for them. It is about awareness. I want to know about the funding and the stock and whether we can conduct a larger campaign.

There was reference to a greener homes mortgage and talking to banks and credit unions. That would be important even with local authority mortgages, which is a road a lot of people are taking now. If one does not qualify for a bank or building society loan, one goes to one's local authority. The local authorities could have a massive input here. It comes down to awareness but it is huge going forward. We must all play our part, including in government and through local authorities. I ask both groups of witnesses to come back to me on some of those figures.