Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Will the Minister provide me with a list of the towns that will be involved in the scheme? It will involve towns with over 15,000 inhabitants. However, the existing boundaries in some towns do not take in the whole area involved. As per his reply, I hope the Minister, along with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Alex White, will steer Bord na Móna in using this as an opportunity for job creation. I know it has already done some good work in this regard.

There is an issue with fuel poverty.

The fuel allowance scheme was reduced to 26 weeks. That is causing problems. Last winter was not the coldest we have had but there have been some very cold winters and a huge slice of the income of low-income households goes on that.

There may be an issue in some areas with the conversion of appliances, particularly in the homes of the elderly. Certain appliances may need to be adapted in order to burn smokeless fuel. The final issue, which I have raised many times, is the insulation of the old local authority houses with solid walls. There is a very small number of these. There are between 35 and 40 such houses in St. John's Square and O'Moore Place in Portlaoise. They have no insulation. They cannot be insulated using the method that has obtained to date because there is no cavity in the walls. However, there is new technology available now. I have raised this matter with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government many times and he said he would consider it when the phases of the scheme were being completed. Will he examine that scheme again in order to see if it can be extended to accommodate people to whom I refer? It is mainly elderly individuals who live in those houses in question.

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