Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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296. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department has a plan to address issues with regard to fuel affordability for social housing tenants whose homes are being upgraded from solid fuel to oil heating systems, given that this work may be done in advance of any potential energy efficiency works such as insulation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10068/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act, 1966 local authorities are legally responsible for the management and maintenance of their housing stock. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties are compliant with the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations, 2019 and provide good comfort levels for occupants.

Notwithstanding the legal obligation on local authorities, my Department launched the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme (EERP) in 2013 with the aim of funding retrofit of social homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since the programme commenced in 2013, over 77,500 local authority social housing dwellings have been retrofitted with a total exchequer spend of over €251 million.

In 2021 a new holistic approach was applied to the programme, designed around the Programme for Government's commitment led by the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications that calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent (BER) standard by 2030, of which, approximately 36,500 are expected to be local authority owned homes, with grant funding provided by my Department for those local authority housing retrofits.

Works eligible under my Department's revised EERP include attic/cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation where required, windows and doors replacement, heat pump installation and ancillary and associated works. Works are typically carried out in this order. The installation of gas/oil boilers or solid fuel/inset stoves including wood pellet stoves are not supported by the Department under the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme.

The 2023 EERP budget provides an increase in funding support from €85 million allocated in 2022 to €87 million in 2023 with details of this years programme including target allocations being finalised. Due to the BER requirement of B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent under the programme, it will ensure that each property will have improved energy efficiency performance post upgrade works. With regard to the local authority properties which are selected to be retrofitted through funding available from the EERP, the selection of properties is a matter for each individual local authority.