Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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480. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent of coverage of low income households that qualify for inclusion in the warmth and wellbeing scheme; the details of the areas completed to date; the uptake in each area; and the way in which he will proceed with this scheme. [40706/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Warmth and Wellbeing scheme is a pilot initiative being delivered under the Government’s Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty and the Healthy Ireland Framework. The scheme seeks to demonstrate the positive effects that making their homes warmer and more energy efficient can have on the health and wellbeing of people in energy poverty who are living with a chronic respiratory condition.

As it is a pilot scheme, eligibility is limited. The operational area for the scheme was selected as Community Health Area (CHO) 7, following consultation with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE). This CHO encompasses Kildare/West Wicklow, Dublin West, Dublin South City and Dublin South West. Within CHO 7 the need to build capacity in the local public health and SEAI teams, and establish communications on the pilot with the local community, meant that a further localisation was necessary and Dublin 12 and 24 were selected as the initial operational areas.

Within these areas the scheme was limited to people who:

- are aged over 55;

- suffering from a chronic respiratory condition;

- living in an owner-occupied or local authority home; &

- a member of the household is in receipt of the Fuel Allowance.

A dedicated HSE delivery team is in place and is working with Local Authorities and local health care professionals (from physiotherapists to general practitioners, consultants & public health nurses) to identify participants. Once referrals are received, the HSE team visits each eligible participant individually to guide them through the process. Each participant in the pilot scheme is eligible for an extensive energy efficiency upgrade. In each case the actual upgrade provided depends on an SEAI assessment of the home but is intended to make it much easier for the participant to heat their home adequately. The value of these upgrades could be up to €20k per home depending on the works to be carried out.

To date the HSE have had 339 applicants who meet the eligibility criteria across Dublin 12 (135) and 24 (204). These applicants are at various stages of their application and referral process. To date, 147 have already had their homes assessed by SEAI and upgrade works are in various stages of delivery. Chronic respiratory conditions the HSE are seeing in the referrals include COPD, asthma, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis and cystic fibrosis. These conditions can all benefit from improved indoor air temperature and air quality.

With the additional resources I have made available to the scheme in 2017, the steering committee for the scheme, made up of representatives from my Department, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), the Department of Health and the HSE, determined that the area covered by the scheme could be expanded to cover Dublin 8, 10 and 22 and that eligibility could be expanded to cover families with young children. By including families with young children it is hoped that the scheme can also show a positive impact on school attendance and social inclusion.

The scheme is intended to run for a further two years (2017-2018). In parallel with the scheme’s delivery, an independent research project will be commissioned by my Department, which will assess the impact the scheme is having. At the conclusion of the scheme and with independent evidence on its effectiveness, the potential for a wider rollout will be considered.

I would finally note that the Warmer Homes scheme is available on a nationwide basis to low income households who are at risk of energy poverty. More information on this scheme is available on SEAI’s website at: