Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister and am delighted to hear her answer. I welcome this scheme; it is a great one. Even the rate of take-up the Minister outlined is impressive and is key to meeting our climate targets. It allows schools, as much as the rest of society, to address their emissions and reduce their carbon footprint.

The Minister said fee-paying schools and private schools, and we must remember that not all private schools are fee-paying, may have access to fees that non-fee paying or non-private schools do not have. While I accept that, at the same time, if we are committed to this scheme as one that will reduce carbon emissions and our dependence on fossil fuels and allow us to get more renewable energy and, therefore, benefit the whole country, should it not be rolled out automatically to all those schools, rather than deciding that if one school takes in fees, it is ineligible or to parse the scheme in those terms? If the scheme works - and it clearly does - and it reduces emissions and our dependence on fossil fuels, then surely what is good for the goose is good for the gander and it will be good for all schools.

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