Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

Will the Minister accept it is not good enough to set targets and then have no mechanism to deliver on them? It is clear nobody is in charge and this raises a serious question over commitments made in the Government programme in an area such as this, which is crucial both in the context of energy efficiency and in meeting climate change targets that are required of us. Since this is part of the programme for Government, why is it taking so long for the SEAI to set up a monitoring unit, which will not be established until next year? The national retrofit programme was promised in last year's budget and, clearly, it will not happen until after this year's budget.

The Minister will run away from my final question because he will say it is not his area of responsibility. When it comes to energy efficiency and all the plans his Department produces, he must take an interest in the fact that local authorities have been grant aided for home adaptation. The take-up by them has been pathetic, even though the need is considerable. What is the Minister's view on that failure if he is to meet targets set by him, his party and Fianna Fáil?

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