Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The just transition fund has just been opened for applications. Interested groups can register under an arrangement that is already in place with the councils. We will publish the final criteria in about three weeks and we will have the selection thereafter.

The contract has already been awarded for the first tranche of bog restoration. Bord na Móna won that contract and it is being rolled out.

The retrofit programme is at a very advanced stage of preparation in terms of identifying how the tenders will be delivered and the homes that will be used. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 the important next stage of surveying the work before the issue of tenders has not been possible. Until the Covid-19 restrictions allow indoor surveys, we will not be in a position to press "Go".

Moreover, a lot of the retrofitting will involve indoor work. Again, it has been postponed until a later stage in the phased relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions.

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