Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 569: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of applications for the warmer home scheme in County Kildare since the scheme began; the amount of funding allocated to the county from this scheme; if the scheme will continue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31223/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Warmer Homes Scheme (WHS) has been delivered to 1,510 homes in Co. Kildare since the Scheme began. Funding is not allocated on a county by county basis. The WHS is delivered to homes that apply for the scheme in any county nationwide subject to eligibility criteria being met and funding being available.

The WHS remains fully open in 2010 and it is envisaged that the new National Retrofit Programme will incorporate existing schemes such as the WHS and the Home Energy Savings Scheme from 2011.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 570: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to change the qualifying criteria for the warmer home scheme to allow those on low incomes but not in receipt of the national fuel allowance to avail of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31225/10]

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 582: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the qualifying criteria for the warmer homes scheme as they applied in June 2009 and June 2010; the number of persons on the waiting list on a county basis; the areas of the country not yet covered by the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31602/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 570 and 582 together.

The Warmer Homes Scheme (WHS), managed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), provides energy efficiency improvements to homes in, or at risk of, fuel poverty and is primarily delivered by community based organisations (CBOs) of which 25 have, to date, been approved to provide this service.

The primary eligibility criteria for receipt of the WHS are that the household is in receipt of a Fuel Allowance from the Department of Social Protection and that the property was constructed prior to 2002. In the context of the Affordable Energy Strategy currently being prepared by my Department in conjunction with all relevant Departments and Agencies the qualifying criteria for WHS are being examined.

The CBOs work in partnership with their local network of poverty and community support organisations including public health nurses, MABS and St. Vincent De Paul to identify and address vulnerable homes. Homes which are identified and referred to the WHS by these support organisations and which may not be in receipt of a fuel allowance but are deemed to be in need of the scheme, are also considered eligible. Through this devolution model each CBO is responsible for managing the applications in their own operational areas. The SEAI is therefore not directly involved in the application process. It does of course monitor and check the scheme to ensure that assistance is provided to the target sector of those on low income.

Private contractors were engaged on a pilot basis in 2009 to address the increasing demand for the scheme. Through these mechanisms, the WHS was delivered to 16,240 homes in 2009. A further 2,886 homes received similar measures through the ESB's Home Insulation Scheme in 2009.

The WHS is now available nationwide using a dual model of delivery with CBOs in their set geographical areas and private contractors extending the geographic reach of the programme while also providing deeper measures including central heating in certain homes.

The waiting time for the WHS varies, although it is generally between 3 and 6 months. The SEAI, through a combined use of CBOs and contractors, is actively working towards reducing waiting times for the scheme. As households are usually identified by way of referrals from the support agencies, it is not possible to quantify waiting lists.

The Deputy may wish to note that a dedicated hot line - 1800 250 204 – has been in operation for some time and all queries, from scheme applicants and public representatives, on delivery dates for individual households and/or funding agreements are dealt with immediately.

The number and location of recipients of the WHS to date in 2010 are as follows: