Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. The Government's target is to retrofit 500,000 homes by 2030, or 62,500 homes a year, but so far this year only 681 homes have been approved and only 89 retrofits completed. It is safe to say the Government is about a million miles off target at this point and that is no surprise. If people are asked under the scheme to fork out €10,000, €20,000, €30,000 or €40,000 upfront in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, this is what the Government is going to get. There should be no upfront charges. The cost should be covered by the State, with people paying back a portion, based on ability to pay.

Someone once said the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. When is the Government going to change its policy on this issue?

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