Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

With the Acting Chairperson's permission, as there is a vote in the Dáil, I will give the Senator an abbreviated answer. She makes a good point. There is merit in what she is proposing about an extension. She will get a copy of the prepared reply as well.

Since 2019, over €1.5 billion has been provided to homeowners for 228,350 home energy upgrades. As the Senator knows, the retrofit programme is a community-led home retrofit project funded by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on whose behalf I am taking this matter. It has been awarded almost €500,000 since it commenced in October 2022.

Retrofit Ready serves four counties, Monaghan, Sligo, Cavan and Leitrim, and is developing a community retrofit service which is allowing homeowners to navigate access to retrofit grant schemes. The point the Senator made is that there is a waiting time and we must make it easier for homeowners to be able to avail of this grant and the schemes. Many of us are conscious of the piece around retrofit champions, which the Senator referenced in her contribution, and fuel poverty and agreed to have awareness campaigns around that.

I will certainly convey to the Minister and the Department the Senator's concerns about the need to extend the scheme nationwide. Targets have been set at a national level in the climate action plan regarding the installation of heat pumps. Equally, there is a road to travel. We must ensure that, collaboratively and collectively, we make houses warmer, more comfortable and, as the Senator said, less expensive to heat given the rising costs.

I will bring the Senator's points back to the Minister. They are well made and are increasingly relevant today given the need for us as a Government but also as a society to adapt for climate change and to retrofit more houses.