Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is right and I remember the role he played in those grant schemes. We favoured the islands for a number of reasons. The islands are demonstrable. They are particular geographic areas so one can show and measure effects. The likes of Inis Mór and the Aran Islands have been progressive and have showed leadership in demonstrating how communities can come together. The islands were also favoured because of the issue of energy security. Shipping fossil fuels - gas, oil, coal or any other fossil fuel - to an island is inherently expensive and brings risks with it. We did provide those higher grants and they delivered. Some 300 home energy upgrades have been supported on the islands since 2014 under the community energy grant scheme. In the same time period, there have been 29 applications for the better energy homes scheme and 37 for the warmer homes scheme. It has worked.

I believe we have now moved to a different phase. The new grant levels of 50% and up to 80%, which we introduced two weeks ago, are the sort of grant levels that will make the case for themselves on the islands or onshore. That level of grant facility overcomes the cost impediments and the economic case is there.

The experience of the islands in the past built up abilities and skills. It also provided examples. That was what those initial higher grants were put in place to deliver and I believe they did so. I do not believe it appropriate to extend them. The new grant system we are introducing is sufficient and is the right measure.

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