Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The Deputy asked, if we are loading more money into retrofits, how many more homes will be done or what will it do to the waiting lists. I only have the financial figures in euro today. I could divide the figure by the average amount for a retrofit but, to give a proper estimate, I will wait until January when we will announce the national retrofit scheme. I will have accurate numbers at that stage in terms of how many people this affects. Obviously, it is a large number.

The Deputy asked about waiting list times, to which I referred in my opening statement. The big problem here is that during the pandemic restriction period, construction was stopped altogether. There was a period of three months when we could not do anything. Everything got delayed by that number of months. It will certainly help. The nature of this is that because the better energy, warmer homes scheme is entirely paid for, there is significant demand for it. Nearly everybody who qualifies for it wishes to avail of it. There is enormous demand. There is also demand among people who do not qualify and are outside the income bands. Broadly speaking, everybody wants to have their house retrofitted if they can. There is significant demand. We are trying to upgrade 500,000 homes in ten years. It is a decade-long programme and I am sure there will be enormous demand at the start. In January, I will have numbers on exactly what that will be.

As regards the €1.5 million in carbon credits, normally the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, would invoice a year in arrears, but its auditor recommended that it be done this year. As such, we have been asked to pay out this year the €1.5 million we would have paid out in carbon credits next year. That is why we moved it in. It was a technical accounting request that came from the auditors. I am not sure I can say any more about that.

As regards the better energy, warmer homes scheme and the waiting times for the scheme, we are focusing on the people who are waiting longest. Their homes will be tackled first. The people who have been waiting 26 months or more for an upgrade - they have literally been waiting years - are those who will be tackled first with the additional money.

Was the Deputy's next question on broadband?