John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to try to get some clarity in the new year from the Minister for climate action about the concept of one-stop climate shops. There is a clear commitment for this in the programme for Government. It has been discussed in the climate action plan. It is due to be rolled out in the new year. I would like context in regard to how are they actually going to work, how they will be funded by the Government and where they will be provided. For example, will staff in local authorities provide them? The concept is quite simple. There are so many people in Irish society today who are climate conscious and want to be able to make improvements to their own homes to make a contribution to counteract the climate crisis, whether that is retrofitting their homes, getting solar panels on their roofs or making the transition to electric vehicles. The problem is that it can be difficult and daunting for people to get that information, and get the right information. The concept of these one-stop climate shops is that you can rock in and meet somebody who knows this area inside-out and can give you the proper advice, direct you towards the proper funding applications and tell you about the pros and cons of various initiatives. These one-stop climate shops would be rolled out through our local authorities, meaning that somebody could walk into Louth County Council or any local authority in the country, set out the key things he or she wants to try to do to retrofit his or home or to make a contribution towards climate action and ask how to go about it. The sooner we have them rolled out throughout the country, the better as they will be very useful. I would appreciate an outline from the Minister in the new year about how they intend to work, when they will be rolled out and how much Government funding will be put behind them.