Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply, which frankly contained a lot of jargon. What I would like to know is what concrete actions are happening, in particular in terms of interdepartmental efforts to investigate and move forward. One option is to develop wool as an insulation product. Insulating homes is a major priority of the Government, as it should be, although it might not be moving as quickly as I would like. No doubt the Minister of State will use Covid as the excuse, as it is used for every delay by the Government.

It does seem that wool has some possibilities to be used for insulation. Currently, wool is practically being thrown out or farmers are getting very little for it. The cost of insulation is rising exponentially. It is one of the issues that is making it most difficult for the Government to meet its targets. What is being done in particular in that regard? Is there any engagement with industry? With the greatest of respect, €30,000 is not going to cut it if we are trying to develop a new product with such a significant capability to impact the industry.

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