Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I shall be brief. I welcome the debate because climate change is a very important issue that should continue to be debated in this House on a rolling basis and at many levels throughout the country. People spoke about raising public awareness of the issue. It must be extended into places such as local authorities and even our schools by way of debating competitions. Climate change must be debated at every level possible because it is a challenge that transcends all nations, genders, breeds and species.

Speakers stated that Fine Gael was not worried about frogs and hen harriers. Of course, we are worried about the frogs and the hen harriers. We believe such issues should have a proper structured debate and priorities should be given where needed. Green issues have become mainstream now in politics and all major political parties give a high priority to them and to climate change, which is very welcome.

I agree with Senator Brady that we must stop speaking above the public with regard to climate change. We must give a clearer understanding and awareness to the populace. We can learn from our children in this regard. Marvellous work is being done in schools on green energy, sustainable living and the green schools initiatives. Children know almost as much as their parents or households. There is a great deal to be learned in that area.

There is an opportunity also in regard to housing and the local authorities, which comes under the Minister of State's remit. I am aware of many local authorities which installed oil central heating and so on in their local housing stock in good faith in the past ten years. The inhabitants of those houses now find it is unsustainable to keep paying for the oil at current prices, and we will have a further increase with the carbon tax.

Sustainable Energy Ireland recently engaged in a pilot project where it is installing wood pellet boilers into houses but, unfortunately, only private houses and people on social welfare qualify for that pilot project. I would be hopeful, and the Minister might give Members some information in this regard, that that might be rolled out to people in the local authority housing stock and that in the future they might be able to apply for conversion to more sustainable heating systems for their houses. I am aware moneys have been allocated for retrofitting housing stock, which is welcome. That should be prioritised because insulation, draught proofing and simple measures like that would help convince ordinary people, who are the people we need to get on side, to make those changes. The Copenhagen summit is taking place-----