Senator from Kildare urges Eamon Ryan to rethink Warmer Home Scheme
A Senator from County Kildare has urged the Minister for the Environment, Eamon Ryan, to rethink how the Warmer Home Scheme is targeted and implemented.
Labour's Mark Wall made the request following the receipt of a reply to a parliamentary question to his colleague Deputy Duncan Smith TD, which showed that over 6,500 applications were completed in 2017 compared to just over 1,500 last year.
The reply, also stated that there are over 7,000 applications in the system for completion, and that less than 50 per cent of the budget for the scheme, an allocated €50 million was spent last year.
Senator Wall said: "There is no doubt that Covid and the enforced ban on building had a major effect on numbers and waiting times, as the Minister has said in his reply, and that must be accepted."
"There is a shortage of building labourers now, and as the Minister also states, building costs have gone up also."
"However, this scheme always had a long waiting list with a time of 2 years not uncommon."
Senator Wall added that, given the budget for this scheme is now €100 million, the Minister for the Environment must also address the waiting times and "reduce the red tape that was associated with the application."
He concluded: "The retrofitting of homes is a very important target for Government as it should be, but unless we see a further expansion of contractors then these waiting times will only increase."