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

The Minister of State was given a pre-prepared answer and it is the same cut-and-paste I got when I put down the parliamentary question. It does not address my first question, that is, whether we are going to ascertain how many houses in local authority ownership are fuelled mainly by solid fuel. It is a "Yes" or "No" question.

On the second issue, the Minister of State said, "Their homes will be warmer, easier to heat and more comfortable, it will enhance the air quality in the home, and those currently using oil or gas will see a significant saving on their energy bills". The question I asked related specifically to solid fuel because the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications keeps telling us that 1,300 people die every year because of particulate matter pollution, which is not caused, according to him, by oil and we know it is not caused by gas. We know those forms of energy produce carbon-based emissions but they do not have particulate problems. On the one hand, that Minister is telling us we are killing people while, on the other hand, the other side of the Government will not even find out how great a cause of pollution it is and the extent to which it contributes to the problem by insisting on not changing as a priority houses that are fuelled by solid fuel to using a much more sustainable form of heating. That seems to show a total lack of joined-up government in respect of the matter.

My questions are quite simple. Is it intended to find out how many local authority houses are fuelled mainly by solid fuel? Second, is it intended to have a special programme focused on changing the fuel source in those houses to something more sustainable? They are the two big issues. It is my observation that the vast majority of houses in Galway city that face this problem are either local authority houses or, in a smaller number of cases, private houses owned by people who are not well off and are very disadvantaged. It is time------

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