Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The energy efficiency directive will only be published next month and this will be followed by a prolonged consultation period because of the severity of the measures included. However, I welcome the measures and I supported the Danish Presidency at the Council of Ministers when it introduced them because they are hugely important. I welcome anything that gives an impetus to the renovation of public buildings. Without such an impetus we will continue to waste energy as before and some of these buildings will remain unsuitable. The 3% target for renovating central government buildings is important for these reasons.

The 1.5% imposition will be more problematic, however. The energy supply companies are already working on the issue but it is a stout target, particularly if the economy starts to grow once again.

On the reduction in grants under the retrofit programme, Deputy Cowen is not factoring in the additional €30 million I received from the Minister for Finance in the middle of last year.

It is against that figure he is taking the reduction.

It is true there has been something of a fall-off in applications. This may be because we have reached saturation, in terms of the 240,000 homes already done, which were willing and knowledgeable participants, or because we have been through a very mild winter after two previous exceptionally severe winters and there is a downward spike in terms of the visible applications, or perhaps because of the recession. It is important to put this point on the record with regard to the recession. Even where people avail of the grant, they must put their own finance up front also. In circumstances where people, even those who can afford to do so, are not putting their hands in their pockets, this is a factor. This worries me with regard to the future.

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