Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Friends of the Earth research has established serious problems with the Government's retrofitting and energy efficiency programmes, which include waiting lists of up to three years for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's free home energy upgrades for lower income households. According to the report, "Government policy on energy poverty is lacking in scale and ambition, with a greater focus on crisis response that prioritises short-term fixes over long-term solutions." This is a similar theme to concerns raised recently by IBEC and Chambers Ireland regarding the Government's social and affordable housing targets. The Friends of the Earth report also highlights the significant barriers for lower income households to access retrofitting schemes, either due to high cost or lack of eligibility, stating that "policies are overly market-focused and undermined by siloed Departments and public bodies."

What is the Taoiseach's response to the report's analysis that retrofitting grants remain skewed for well-off homeowners? Will he consider the introduction of a tiered, deep-retrofit grant support of 65% to 100% for low- and middle-income households, dependent on income, as proposed by Sinn Féin?

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