Trevor Sargent
Ceist:137 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the financial support schemes he will introduce to help those on low income to thermally upgrade their homes. [5373/01]
Written Answers. - Housing Grants.
There are no grants available from my Department specifically for the purpose of thermally upgrading houses. There are, however, a number of targeted options currently available to assist especially vulnerable groups such as lower income households and elderly persons to secure necessary improvement works to their houses. These include the local authority house improvement loan scheme, the essential repairs grant scheme and the improvement works in lieu of local authority housing scheme, all administered by local authorities, and the task force on special housing aid for the elderly which is administered by the local health board.
In addition, many effective measures to improve energy efficiency in houses can be achieved at negative or zero equivalent annual cost to the householder. The national climate change strategy, recently adopted by the Government, provides for intensification of educational and awareness programmes being undertaken by the Irish Energy Centre to promote these options and to fill the existing information gap for consumers. Under the strategy, the new house grant will be redesigned so that larger grants are available towards more efficient houses.
Since 1976, all new local authority housing has been built with wall cavity, attic and floor insulation. The standards of insulation required have been progressively improved in 1982, 1991 and, most recently, following the 1997 revision of the building regulations.
My Department financially assists local authorities in upgrading, renovating and redeveloping their housing stock through the remedial works scheme and funding for regeneration and redevelopment projects. Works under the remedial works scheme must comply with the building regulations. The extent of works carried out to dwellings varies from project to project. Where an extensive programme of refurbishment works is carried out, measures are taken to improve thermal insulation in accordance with the building regulations. Some 14,500 dwellings have been refurbished since the inception of the scheme.