Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

That strategy will be presented within the coming weeks. It has been completed in my Department and we have to work within time lines with the Department of Social Protection and at Government level before publishing it. We will do that. I fully understand and accept what the Deputy is saying. In this very cold weather this issue is of critical importance, and I sympathise and have a sense of what those families are going through. That is why something like €450 million has been provided to try to help such families in such difficulty. Retrofitting 22,000 homes to ensure they do not have to use as much fuel is a critical and real response. Furthermore, the disconnections policy issue, which was raised at an Oireachtas committee, will be changed, with a different approach to be taken to ensure people are not inappropriately cut off and that the cost is not fully borne by the householder. We recognise this is an issue that must be tackled through a series of measures, including buildings, low incomes and disconnection policies so that people are not moved from a difficult to a worse situation.

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