Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Homeowners across Mayo are concerned about their energy bills. Can the Minister of State imagine what it is like for homeowners trying to heat homes where cracks are coming down the walls and the wind is blowing through them? People have astronomical bills, on top of what they already have to deal with, yet many are locked out of the scheme because they cannot afford to go onto the next stages. I spoke to a woman in Westport last week. On top of having paid for a test to be in the first stage, an engineer is now demanding €11,000 in order for her to proceed to the next stage. It is unaffordable for many people. People are stuck in this situation. Each winter, people face into the summer and think by this winter they will have a solution, yet homeowners across Mayo find they are facing into another winter and are still on their own. They still do not have a scheme that is fit for purpose. They have submitted a number of questions on the progress on regulations, when they will be shared with homeowners and what assessment has been completed on the damaged thresholds. There are too many loose ends in the scheme that need to be tied up. As Deputy Mac Lochlainn correctly said, the Minister or one of the Ministers of State in the Department should be here to answer these questions.

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