Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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74. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the plans to ensure the retrofitting of all social housing stock by 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42940/24]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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In 2021 a new holistic approach was applied to the Local Authority Energy Efficient Retrofit Programme (EERP), 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 EERP include attic/cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation where required, windows and doors replacement, heat pump installation and ancillary and associated works. The programme has been devised in a way to give local authorities a level of flexibility when selecting properties to retrofit, ranging from those requiring minor levels of works to properties needing the maximum level of retrofitting required to bring them to a B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent standard.

Each year the target number of units and funding provided under the EERP are subject to the funding available as part of the National Development Plan and annual Estimates process. The 2024 EERP budget provides an increase in funding support to €90 million to retrofit 2,500 properties. Local authorities have received their individual allocations and work is underway in that regard.

It is important to note however, over the period 2013 to 2023, 79,313 grants for homes retrofitted under the programme have been provided with a total exchequer spend of over €308 million. A further 694 units were retrofitted under the Midlands Retrofit Pilot with additional funding of €20.5m recouped and the number of properties upgraded per local authority is available on my Department's website.