Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Tá mé cinnte go mbeidh spéis ag an Leas-Cheann Comhairle san ábhar seo. Go minic, bíonn muid ag tabhairt faoin taobh mícheart d’fhadhbanna. Seachas mealladh a thabhairt do dhaoine, leagaimid an dlí anuas ar dhaoine nach bhfuil mórán rogha acu.

The recent controversy about smoky coal, fuel and turf has focused almost totally on the distribution and sale of these fuels. The question that does not seem to have been asked, however, is who are the people who predominantly buy these fuels and why do they do it? I would like to focus in particular on a section for which the Minister of State is directly responsible, namely, local authority houses that are fuelled by solid fuel. It is fair to say many people have a stove in their house they use occasionally but have some other main source of fuel for cooking, heating water and heating the house. My experience, however, is that many local authority houses are mainly dependant on solid fuel ranges and solid fuel for heating the house and heating water. In that case, of course, people must keep the solid fuel burner going all day.

Although I cannot get the figures because no one will provide me with them, at least in my experience of dealing with my constituents, it seems a totally disproportionate number of the people in my constituency who are dependent on solid fuel as their main source of heating and cooking live in local authority houses. That is true in Galway city as much as it is true in Galway county. We cannot blame these people for buying turf, the fuel they are familiar with. There is also the issue of the cost of smokeless fuel. In any event, all those fuels produce emissions.

I suggest, and I hope I get a positive answer, that the Department find out from each local authority how many houses in its stock are dependent on solid fuel as their primary source of energy. Without that information, the Department cannot solve the problem. Having found that out, it should begin an urgent programme that would be completed within five years, allowing for the difficulties in procurement and so on, that would replace all these homes with sustainable systems and not only deal with the emissions issue of smoke but also that of carbon.

I have to say, I was disappointed when I tabled a parliamentary question in the House to get a reply stating the Department did not know, and not even indicating it would find out. Perhaps we could have a two-step programme to find out how many houses the issue relates to and then to resolve the issue. Instead of punishing people, we should assist people who are in fuel poverty.

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