Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and I welcome his comments. The Minister of State referred to the combat energy poverty strategy, which was from 2016 to 2019. A parliamentary response from the Minister, however, said that a review of the implementation of that strategy will be completed in 2021. This is a whole two years after it has run out. We are aware that the St. Vincent de Paul is currently spending €5 million to support people with the costs of energy. Will the Minister of State take it back to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to see if the review could be expedited, because two years is a long gap between an energy strategy, and that any new strategy would have binding targets for the Minister in regard to energy poverty? Even with climate change we are aware that unless the targets are binding we are very unlikely in this country to meet them.