Mr. Tim Collins:

We need to remove the worst fuels first. Dry wood is probably the least polluting fuel, but it still emits particulates and many studies in the UK show that where people have moved away from traditional fuels and are now burning dry wood in stoves there are significant levels of air pollution, which are causing health issues. Ultimately, our view is that we need to move away from burning anything in our homes. The Deputy is correct to point out that fuel poverty is an issue. There needs to be a transition allowance to retrofit houses. It is simple to put electric storage heaters into homes. It is not that expensive to retrofit houses. Major retrofits cost upwards of €30,000 or €40,000, but we can replace a lot of solid-fuel burning devices with electric central heating and other forms of heating, which will reduce the particulate matter to zero. Unfortunately, the news is that we are all going to have to move away from burning anything. For the moment, let us move away from the worst fuels. There is no immediate threat to burning dry wood in the home, but it is a health issue both for internal air and external air quality.