Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I cannot let this opportunity pass without again mentioning the long delay and the countless announcements about the microgeneration scheme. It must be delivered immediately and it must be meaningful. There has been enough talk and gestures. People in my constituency have spent their hard-earned money and, in some areas, have taken out loans to buy solar panels in anticipation of this much-heralded scheme. It must be introduced without delay. The updated wind energy guidelines are long overdue. The current guidelines are 16 years old. Since being elected two years ago, I have asked three times when the guidelines will be updated, and each time I have been told that the public consultation ended in February 2020, and that the new guidelines were being prepared. A previous Deputy spoke about the hill being too steep to climb. It must be steep for him as well because this is not good enough. How can councillors who are working on county development plans plan for ordinary development in the absence of these guidelines? The Government must get the finger out, ensure that our scenic areas are protected and that industrial-sized wind turbines are kept a safe distance from family homes.

The retrofit plan announced by this Government is inequitable. It is an inequitable use of taxpayers' money and it leaves renters and those on low incomes behind. It channels money to people who already have the means to carry out work. Sinn Féin has called on the Government to consider the eligibility income cap to try to make this more equitable and allow more money to be directed to those on lower incomes or who are living in energy poverty. Many people come to my office whose fuel allowance is wiped out by inflation and carbon taxes. They isolate themselves in one room to conserve heat and cut down on food shopping in an effort to balance the household budget. Imagine having to do that. More must be done to help these people. People come to me who were awarded grants under the warmer homes scheme over two years ago and they are still waiting for a contractor to be assigned. I do not know what is going on. Maybe the Minister does.

Sinn Féin provided €30 million more to do this than the Government in its alternative budget for 2022. We provided for graduated grants based on income and ability to pay, prioritising those most in need. The Government retrofit plans are funded by the highly regressive, punitive and unfair carbon tax, whereas Sinn Féin has more ambitious plans that are funded fairly. There is a fairer way. The Government must listen to it or stand aside and let others do it.

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