Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I support what Senator Maria Byrne said and welcome the changes made thus far. Given the new weather advisory for tomorrow, in the short term this will not help us, I know.We will not get the Bill through by tomorrow. Given that climate change has become part of our world and we must take it seriously, there is an urgency about making houses more energy-efficient and improving their energy rating. In this recommendation, we are seeking information on efforts to incentivise retrofitting to make the schemes more inclusive by including different types of works using grants that can be written off against tax. This goes back to my earlier point. I am repeating myself only because I am familiar with my own area. Many people are putting off doing works for a variety of reasons. As we know, landlords are leaving the rental sector. There are issues around the energy retrofitting and efficiency programmes. As Senator Maria Byrne said, we need a roadmap for the future. It is important that we encourage people and bring them with us. We must incentivise rather than taking any other approach.