Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 372: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the source of the funding in respect of the national insulation programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7079/09]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 373: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the estimated duration of the national insulation programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7081/09]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 374: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the amount of funding he proposes to allocate to the national insulation programme in other years if the scheme is to be continued past 2010. [7082/09]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 375: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the way it is calculated that 4,000 jobs will be created by the national insulation programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7083/09]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 372 to 375, inclusive, together.

Along with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, I launched the National Insulation Programme for economic recovery on 8 February. The programme entails a three pronged approach to addressing the legacy of older housing with poor energy efficiency standards. In so far as schemes in the programme under the aegis of my Department are concerned, the home energy saving scheme has been allocated Exchequer funding of €50 million for 2009. Some €20 million has been allocated to the warmer homes scheme — Exchequer funding of €15 million from my Department's Vote and a further €5 million between ESB and Bord Gáis.

Improving the energy efficiency of local authority housing is a key objective for the Government. To that end, a €50 million fund has been set aside in 2009 to support the development and implementation of a comprehensive energy efficiency programme. The programme will include a number of elements including support for the first round of towards carbon neutral and insulation retrofitting projects. In addition, funding will be used to help local authorities to improve the energy rating of dwellings due to be re-let during the year and to advance the overall energy efficiency in apartment complexes.

Investment in the programme in 2010 and subsequent years will be a matter for the Government to determine in the context of the annual Estimates process and decisions on the capital programme. The estimate provided for job creation arising from the national insulation programme for economic recovery arises from assessments of the impacts of the home energy saving pilot programme run in 2008 and other ongoing similar programmes, including the warmer homes scheme. The estimates employ Irish and international metrics for job creation according to the market activity stimulated by support funds. They do not include tertiary benefits to the economy, nor are they "net" of jobs lost in certain industries, such as the construction industry. They are calculated by extrapolating from data collected in the 2008 HES pilot by assuming the multiplier effect — the amount of private capital in addition to Government spending — and considering how much of that goes into labour costs, an assumption about wages, the amount of associated building energy rating assessors and the amount of indirect job creation.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 376: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the projects which have gone over the timescale and budget within his Department since September 2007 to date in 2009; the length of time each project has run over; and the cost that time and budget over runs have cost to date. [7198/09]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The following table sets out the projects within this Department, which have gone over timescale and budget since September 2007; the length of time each project has run over and the cost associated with such overruns.

The MANs Phase II timescale were originally announced in 2005. However, the design stage (which commenced after the announcement), was extended in order to provide for a level of engagement with local authorities aimed at minimising the need for any subsequent design changes. Twenty-nine networks were completed in 2007 with a further 29 completed in 2008. An additional two networks are currently under construction. These two networks were contracted in conjunction with major infrastructure projects in the locations to minimise disruption and achieve economies of scale.