Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)

I appreciate that. I am just not going to let the comment go unchallenged.

I welcome the additional money allocated to the SEAI this year. It has a huge part to play in getting our housing stock retrofitted from a climate perspective, but there is something of an issue with heat pumps. Heat pumps appear to be the nirvana when it comes to retrofitting. For older citizens in particular, they are expensive, so it is really difficult for them to change to them. It is easy when it comes to new stock; 99% of new houses built this year have heat pumps installed, and that is fine. For retired people in their later years who live in older houses, however, the cost of a heat pump is prohibitive, grant or no grant. Will the Tánaiste ask the Department and SEAI to examine this issue and see whether there are shallower retrofit measures that we can identify, roll out and support in order that the houses in question can gain some benefit from retrofitting?

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