Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a major commitment in terms of climate action and climate change in the programme for Government. I am delighted the Minister is in the Chamber this morning. We have seen many policy launches and so on but the reality on the ground is very different. This morning, we had a briefing by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, on the warmer homes scheme. I am dealing with the case of an 89 year old woman who has made an application. She has been successful in the sense that she is priority 1 but she has been told that there is not the funding to do the work. She is facing a waiting time of 18 months, which means she has to go through another winter. I do not have to tell the Minister that an 89 year old woman living in a cold house may not have 18 months. I was told by officials at the briefing that the criteria were broadened so much last year that they have been inundated with applications and do not have the funding to match the number of applications being submitted. The net result is that people will not get the work done under the warmer homes scheme that they have been promised.

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