Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With regard to home charging points, from 1 January a new grant scheme will be brought in. If someone buys a new car or second-hand car, he or she will get a grant for a home charging point. Every new car that has been purchased to date in this country has been able to avail of a home charging point but, from now on, it will be available not just for new purchases but for the purchase of a second-hand vehicle. That does two things: it gives confidence to someone who buys a second-hand vehicle but it also provides reassurance for those who buy new vehicles that there is a second-hand market.

With regard to the load on the grid, while this is a valid point, we are looking at the other side, which is microgeneration. As the Deputy knows, we held a forum in Dublin in the past month and the view was that both of those issues can be addressed together and can help to solve that problem - for example, putting solar PV panels on a roof has an impact on the grid. We have two problems, one in demand and one in supply, and the question is whether we can bring them together.

We are now examining a broader approach to that than has been taken to date.

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