Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. As he has said, there is quite a strong demand for the scheme, which reflects the need in so many households to carry out the works. It is positive that additional contractors are now involved in it. From dealing with the different applications, I can see that the big issue is more at the processing stage of the application. At this stage it is in the region of ten months to get a BER inspection. That only opens up the opportunity thereafter to get the survey of the different works required. Once they get a hold of the job, there is no major delay from the contractor side of it. Currently, applications are taking in the region of 24 months. That is two winters. It is very hard on a household that cannot afford it. The upfront aspect of it, including getting the BER inspection and the survey done, needs to be prioritised. Will the Minister give an outline on the steps in that aspect of the processing of the application?

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