Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he has made retrospective grant payments under the greener homes scheme available for the cost of solar heating systems installed prior to the commencement of the scheme. [3201/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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On 27 March 2006 I launched the "Greener Homes" grant aid package for the domestic sector which includes funding for wood chip and wood pellet boilers and stoves, solar and heat pump technologies. There have been no grant payments made retrospectively under the scheme.

One of the key objectives of the grant scheme is to stimulate the market for domestic renewable technologies and to encourage people to purchase and install renewable technologies, who might not otherwise have done so, because of associated capital costs. All grant schemes must have a reference date and start point. In the case of the Greener Homes scheme, the appropriate date is the date of launch of the scheme.