Seanad Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 2 Feb 2010

Vol. 200 No. 6

Housing Grants.

Senator Cecilia Keaveney

I am raising the matter of available housing grants from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and how they meet the Government's aspirations for more energy efficient homes that are less of an economic burden on home owners. This issue came into sharper focus after the spate of burst pipes suffered by many households over Christmas. Many people discovered the lead pipes in their old houses burst and may continue to do so if such cold snaps recur. Some support for individual cases like these must be introduced. Insurance companies will only deal with the damage caused, not with rectifying the cause of the problem, namely, the old pipes. While I accept there are many supports in place for overall energy efficiency, there needs to be an evaluation of these grants.

I recently had a particular case of a woman with serious financial difficulties and serious difficulties with her house who could not get any support from her local county council for building grants. She had the works done to the house, yet even with a structural engineer's report, she could not get the available grants. I contacted Sustainable Energy Ireland and the warmer homes scheme on this woman's behalf.

From anecdotal evidence, some feel that if it is known one is in receipt of a housing grant, the contractor will charge more. We must ensure the value of these housing grants is not undermined by contractors charging the equivalent of the grant and their fee, as happened in the past. Will the Department get back to me on that specific issue? Are statistics available from county councils and Sustainable Energy Ireland on the drawdown of existing grants? Many people believe that if they do not live in a council house, they are not entitled to housing supports and grants. Much work has been done on wood pellet heaters and other innovative ways for home heating. However, many homes still have draughty windows and doors. Many widows and widowers are often too young to avail of the grants but their homes are in great need of minor repairs. While we must ensure those in need receive these grants, we must also ensure they do not serve as a double payment to contractors. Resources are limited but having more fuel efficient houses will be ultimately more economic and a saving for everyone.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science (Deputy Seán Haughey)

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley.

There are a range of significant and far-reaching measures in place to support the quality and environmental performance of the housing stock. To ensure the stock of 125,000 local authority-owned dwellings is maintained to a high standard, achieves improved levels of energy performance and yields an important fuel poverty dividend, an energy efficiency retrofitting programme for the social housing stock was introduced last year. By year end, energy efficiency improvement works to more than 1,150 units across the country had been approved. To underpin further progress this year, the allocation for this programme is being more than doubled to €45 million. Activity under the programme is targeted at both vacant properties, where access can be gained quickly and works completed without delay, and local authority apartment complexes where the nature of the works will not require tenant relocation.

Significant supports are also available to private home owners who wish to improve the energy performance of their homes. The home energy savings scheme was launched nationwide in 2009. The scheme, administered by Sustainable Energy Ireland, provides grant assistance to home owners for energy efficiency retrofitting measures, including attic and wall insulation, high efficiency boilers, heating controls and building energy rating assessments. At the end of 2009, there were 40,000 approved applications in the system, representing a total take-up of more than 80,000 measures.

The warmer homes scheme, which was launched in 2000 with the aim of addressing the relative thermal inefficiency of low-income private sector housing, also saw a considerable increase in funding and activity in 2009. Some €15 million in Exchequer funding was allocated to the scheme last year, with an additional €5 million contributed by the ESB and Bord Gáis Energy. This scheme provides for the installation of a range of energy efficiency measures at little or no cost to the home owner. The measures include cavity wall insulation, attic insulation, boiler lagging jackets and other draught proofing measures. The increased level of funding ensured that 19,113 homes benefited under the scheme in 2009.

A total of €1.8 billion has been invested by the Exchequer in providing new supply water infrastructure under the water services investment programme in the past ten years, including €168 million for a specific sub-programme on water conservation designed to monitor water use and losses throughout the supply networks, fix leaks and replace defective pipes where repair is no longer an economic option. This provides the platform for intensive investment in mains rehabilitation under the next water services investment programme for 2010 to 2012, being finalised by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The investment programme does not extend to funding or providing grants for replacement of individual services connections or other measures relating to single households or premises. This is similar to the provision of an electricity supply to a house where the internal wiring is the responsibility of the owner or occupants, not the supplier.

Other grant schemes, namely, the housing adaptation grant schemes for older people and people with a disability, may facilitate necessary grant assistance being provided in appropriate cases to carry out insulation works and works to private water supply piping. It is a matter for individual local authorities to determine what works, including replacement of lead supply pipes, are eligible and to decide on priorities.

The Government has in place a range of measures to address many of the issues raised by the Senator as part of its overall ambition to improve the quality and environmental performance of housing,

Senator Cecilia Keaveney

I thank the Minister of State for his answer. On the point of internal wiring, there used to be a grant for upgrading or rewiring a house. Similarly, as mains water supply is improving, it will lead to more difficulties for households in what they call in telecommunications the last mile. While the reply dealt with the overall main issues, we also need to deal with the individual issues concerning home water supply improvements. Will the Department get back to me on that?

Deputy Seán Haughey

Yes, it will.