Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I second and commend today's motion. It must be acknowledged that we live in difficult fiscal times and difficult decisions have been made to pare back very important public expenditure programmes. The Government has made a conscious decision that one area where additional expenditure will be and must be made available is in home insulation. As other speakers have commented, there are cumulative benefits for adopting this approach. In announcing the scheme the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, pointed out this scheme has the potential to produce 4,000 jobs that are badly needed in the current climate.

In addressing the issue of poorly insulated housing stock the scheme will also be a significant contributor in reducing our Kyoto liabilities in carbon costs. On those grounds alone it would be a very welcome programme. However, it is structured in a multifaceted way. The home energy saving scheme is only one of a series of programmes that exist now, from the original greener homes programme to the warmer homes programme. This scheme exists at a number of levels. There is a level for private householders and another level where funding is to be provided by Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for local authority housing stock. Money is being spent in the Department of Education and Science to ensure much of our public school building stock, which is utilised by our young people every day, achieves the highest possible energy standards. There will be multiple benefits from following this programme.

We must place the scheme in the context of policy on energy conservation. This, again, exists on a wider level. The Government has offered incentives to businesses to acquire energy efficient equipment. Grants are available for the generation of electricity by renewable sources. There is particular support for new technology in energy generation. In the past we failed to press home a natural advantage in respect of technology to harness wind. We will be able to do so with wave and tidal power. In all these ways the scheme is a good news story in an era when all too sadly we lack good news. I hope the Opposition will recognise this. An amendment was tabled but I believe the House should support this motion as it is. I do not see anything particularly contentious in it. The motion points out that the scheme, as structured, will deal with insulation in its wider sense and will show how roofing, exterior walls, and flooring can be used by householders to save on their energy bills.

We are in the middle of a political debate about energy costs in this country. I am confident the Government, through the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, is making the appropriate decisions in this regard. On another level, we should also use today's debate to talk about not only what is being achieved in the home energy savings scheme but to place it as a linchpin in a series of economic initiatives to be adopted in coming years with regard to reinventing and restoring economic strength in this country. I and my party believe that the economy will not be restored by what was seen to have worked in the past. Reincentivising the housing market will not work. We must look at the 1 million houses we already have in our housing stock and see to what extent we can make them energy efficient and how we can create a new market where houses will be bought not only for their location but because of their energy efficiency. When we achieve that we will see how programmes and policies such as this can be successful.

On those grounds, today's debate should be less contentious than those we usually conduct during Private Members' Business. This is one of the better news stories in terms of Government policies and I commend the motion to the House.