Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

First, I thank Deputy O'Rourke, in turn. It has always been a pleasure to work with him in various committees and in the Chamber here. I can respond similarly to the Deputy about the constructive approach he takes. As we still have some months to go in this Government, he and I will probably disagree on various issues, but the engagement with the Deputy has always been very civil and I very much appreciate that.

In response to the question, the energy poverty steering group was established in August 2022 and has met eight times. The steering group has overseen implementation of the energy poverty action plan. An annual report outlining progress under the various actions in the energy poverty action plan was published in May this year and is available on gov.ie.

Headline achievements since December 2022 have included the implementation of the electricity costs emergency benefit schemes II and III, through which some 2.2 million households received €1,050 between November 2022 and April 2024 at an approximate total cost of €2 billion; the completion of 2,445 retrofits through the local authority retrofit programme; and the delivery of approximately 5,900 free upgrades for energy poor homes under the better energy warmer homes scheme, with final expenditure in 2023 amounting to €158 million.

As part of the work of the steering group, the inaugural energy poverty stakeholder forum was held on 7 July 2023. The steering group launched a consultation to inform the development of a revised energy poverty action plan in March 2024. The second energy poverty forum was held this week, on Monday, 24 June, and provided another opportunity for stakeholders to discuss proposed actions for inclusion in the revised plan, which is due for publication in the coming months.

These measures, along with others in the plan, have helped to ensure that despite the unprecedented rise in energy costs experienced arising from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, households in Ireland have been supported by this Government to meet their energy costs, and homes have been warmer and more comfortable as a result.

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