Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of where we are going with our retrofitting programme. I read about the issues in the Irish Examinerpertaining to our aim of reaching the target of 500,000 houses. Where are we with those targets? It is an interesting debate. Perhaps we need to look at where the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is in this debate.

From my point of view and that of the people I meet in my clinics, there is a complete breakdown in communication. People do not know how the one-stop shop works, how active it is or how to engage with it. There is also a need for a debate on whether we need to have that kind of one-stop shop for small projects, such as windows and doors. For the elderly population that want to apply for a grant, the one-stop shop is very daunting for them.

It is time we had a real debate in this House about what the next step forward will be. The figure of 500,000 units is significant, and if we want to achieve that target, we must have complete buy-in from Departments and the public. I think we have lost that communication battle. In the past few weeks, I have seen the number of people coming into my clinic asking about how we can engage and deal with the one-stop shop.

There is a need for a real debate on this so we can get the communication issue sorted. On whether the one-stop-shop model has been effective, I think a review is required as well as a review of the target of 500,000 units. That is a significant figure. Is it achievable at present? We have to be honest and say that it probably is not. If it is not achievable, we need to put a plan in place to make sure it will be achievable.