Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 19 October 2022

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Post-budget 2023 Examination: Discussion

Ms Colette Bennett:

Dr. Healy mentioned the phasing in or targeting of these measures. We know there are specific groups of people who will suffer from deficits in heating and energy efficiency within the home. Professor Kinsella referred to tenants, for example. We know there is very little incentive for landlords and property owners to retrofit properties at the moment. Certainly, any household living in a property with a building energy rating, BER, of F or G that is privately let under HAP should be targeted. Any family or household living in local authority rented accommodation that has a low energy efficiency rating should be targeted. There are, however, others outside of that pool of people who can be identified through, as I said, the social welfare and Revenue systems and who could easily be targeted by the very competent civil servants for this type of payment rather than it being made a free-for-all.