Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

One of the ways we can help people with their electricity and energy costs is to empower and enable them to generate their own energy. When will we have the long-awaited updated regulations to exempt schools from the planning conditions in terms of solar PV? We heard from the Taoiseach that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage would have them ready in two or three weeks. We then heard from the Minister of State at that Department that the timeframe in that regard would be months because the Department is still awaiting an environmental impact assessment. My first question was in regard to missed targets. This is the low-hanging fruit. We need to empower communities, schools and farms to play their role. The State is acting as an impediment.

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