Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 59: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on a national programme of home insulation, to protect older and more vulnerable people from the effects of cold weather; if there are plans to introduce such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26185/07]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty and one of the principal means of doing so is to improve the energy efficiency of homes belonging to those on lower incomes. My Department provides funding to Sustainable Energy Ireland for its Warmer Homes Scheme, which provides insulation and other energy efficiency improvements at little or no cost to low income homes across Ireland.

My colleague, John Gormley T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, introduced a new Housing Aid for Older People Scheme on 1st November. This scheme will include energy efficiency measures such as insulation, provision of central heating and repair or replacement of windows and doors. These works will greatly improve the energy efficiency of the homes supported under the scheme.

The residential sector generally offers much potential for energy efficiency savings, particularly in terms of the generally poorer insulation standards of older housing stock. The Programme for Government commits to the introduction of a domestic insulation scheme. Officials from my Department, in consultation with Sustainable Energy Ireland, are developing options in this regard for my consideration, with a view to the implementation of an appropriate scheme to meet the commitment in the Programme for Government.

I published a draft National Energy Efficiency Action Plan for public consultation on 3rd October and in that draft Plan I have identified a range of actions that Government may use to improve the energy efficiency of the residential sector. The overall aim of the Action Plan is to achieve energy efficiency savings across the economy of at least 20% by 2020.