Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 180: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans to make the warmer homes schemes piloted by Waterford local authorities a permanent initiative throughout the State; the date on which he plans to initiate this scheme; and when a decision will be made. [20693/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Warmer Homes Scheme is operated by Sustainable Energy Ireland and matters relating to that scheme are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. The aim of the national fuel scheme, administered by my Department, is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. It is estimated that some 286,200 households will benefit under the scheme in 2007 at an annual cost of €161.5m.

Given the significant annual cost of the fuel allowance, Budget 2006 provided for a grant of €2m to Sustainable Energy Ireland for fuel poverty research. The rationale was that while my Department was making payments to people to meet their heating needs through primary social welfare payments and the Fuel Allowance scheme, the benefit of these payments was considerably offset where people were living in poorly insulated homes. The budget grant was intended to complement the Fuel Poverty Action Research Project which is being carried out in Cork and Donegal in a joint operation funded entirely by Combat Poverty Agency and Sustainable Energy Ireland.

Sustainable Energy Ireland are using the €2m grant to undertake a project for owner occupied dwellings in Waterford city and county. The work being carried out includes both insulation and heating measures (a "whole house" approach) and is broader in approach than their current Warmer Homes Scheme which provides insulation only. The grant is to cover the cost of setting up the project, arranging for remedial work to be carried out on approximately 460 houses, conducting research surveys, analysing the resultant data and submission of a formal report. The report will, among other things, assess the impact of the work undertaken in individual homes at a point twelve months after the work is undertaken. As the remedial work stage is now being completed, the report will be compiled towards the end of 2008.

The grant of €2m to SEI is a once-off payment for research purposes. Any expansion of this initiative would have to be considered in the context of the budget and in the light of the eventual research results from the project.