Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

This is one of the good schemes in the Gaeltacht. I wish to ask about older people, particularly those living alone, who want to seal their houses against the elements, that is, windows, doors and so on, and want central heating. Are the number of applications in that category going up or down? If they are going down, is it an indication that, after a number of years, the back has been broken in respect of the number of people whose houses require this type of renovation or refurbishment? It is very important that older people are looked after in this regard. I am interested to know the trends in this regard and what the Minister sees as the ongoing need in that sector in the Gaeltacht areas.

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