Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Government is very much aware of the increase in the costs of fuel and the pressure that is putting on households, families and elderly people. This is the reason a range of supports is in place to support people with the cost of fuel. One thing that is clear regarding fuel, energy and gas is that we in Ireland are receivers. We are receivers with regard to the cost of fossil-based fuels, including oil and gas, and are very open to the way in which the price of such commodities fluctuates on the world market. This is the reason the Government is doing two things on a strategic level. First, it is increasing the generation of renewable energy in Ireland to reduce our dependence on oil and gas and to enable the supply of electricity and energy at a lower cost. Second, the Government is addressing the retrofitting of homes in order that their energy efficiency is improved and the cost of heating them is reduced. Thus far, approximately 250,000 homes have been retrofitted. The Government is particularly concerned that the retrofit scheme would proceed for those households with low incomes. A total of €50 million has been provided to improve the insulation of 25,000 of the least energy-efficient homes over a three-year period and 1,000 of these improvements have already been carried out. Additional funding has been provided to address the retrofitting of local authority-owned homes to improve their energy efficiency. This issue must be considered in two ways. First, the support the Government provides for households through the fuel allowance, for example, must be maintained. In addition, the issue must be addressed at the level of the energy efficiency of the home itself. This is the reason the retrofitting of houses to get higher standards of energy efficiency and thereby reducing the cost of heating the home must be part of what must be done. Ultimately, that is the best way of doing this sustainably over a longer period.

See this speech in context