The amount that can be raised through network charges to fund grid upgrades and the renewable heat obligation will come up soon. The Minister mentioned he has spoken to energy suppliers, but has he spoken to them as well as the regulator on the pressures these will put on household energy bills? While we accept that investment in the grid and transition to renewable heat are essential, what safeguards will be put in place to shield householders from increases?

The programme for Government acknowledges the increased energy cost pressures on households and businesses. I know, as I said earlier, that that is a real issue for people. The programme for Government commits to bringing forward additional measures to address those costs, and we have discussed that. I established a cross-government energy affordability task force. We identified particular measures, which we have dealt with in this budget. A further piece of work we are doing, which I will bring forward, is the final report in 2026. That will look at network charges, structures and so on. There will be a European dimension to this too, and it requires movement from Europe, particularly with regard to the spark gap. That needs to be addressed.

We are committed to reaching our legally binding targets on climate neutrality. We are also committed to bringing about energy sovereignty in this country. As Deputy Ó Cearúil mentioned in the previous question, we have a real opportunity to do that and to secure for ourselves clean energy that is generated and owned by us and that will help us decarbonise our society and reduce our energy bills.

Given the potential impact the RHO could have on end customers, energy affordability and the impact on household energy bills were key considerations in developing the scheme. My Department has carried out extensive analysis and stakeholder engagement, including with energy suppliers, to ensure that final decisions taken in relation to the scheme are evidence based and supportive of its successful introduction. A number of scheme parameters have been designed to allow flexibility to obligated parties in meeting their obligations, which will in turn reduce the overall burden on the end consumer.

Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity market and the implementation of the price review 6 process and its outcomes is a matter for the regulator, the CRU. The CRU is independent and, in relation to the outcome of the price review strategy and associated issues, the Deputy can and may wish to engage directly with it. He should note, however, the significant equity investment the Government is making in the system operators, which we discussed just last night. That in itself is significant-----

Thank you, Minister.

Okay. I will come back in on some of that.

Most people will know, and the people in the Gallery will know, that the need for the grid upgrades is driven in part by the growing energy demands of data centres, whose usage has increased by 400% since 2015. Therefore, all the extra energy we are creating in renewables is being gobbled up by the data centres. The Government's own officials last November, in a memo issued by the Department of public expenditure, pointed out that the upward pressure on energy bills is due mainly to data centre expansion. That followed a warning from the Secretary General of the Minister's own Department in May that data centre growth could threaten our ability to solve the housing crisis. We have repeatedly highlighted the unfairness in the funding model for our grid, but the draft or interim decision for PR6 in July seems to ingrain this. Under the CRU's draft decision, households and SMEs will see their electricity network charges increase but the data centre users will see reductions of up to 18%.

As I have said in the House before, I reject both the assertions from the Department of public expenditure and the comments made earlier this year on housing and data centres. They are not correct. Government policy is clear on this. We have a growing population and growing housing stock, thankfully. Price review 6, when published before the end of this year, will show how we will meet that future energy demand. We need to invest in our grid, and there will be a cost associated with that. I mentioned what we were doing last night in relation to providing the equity investment for ESB and a further equity investment for EirGrid. That reduces the requirement for borrowing somewhat and allows them to leverage off that equity to borrow. Into the future, I will look at maybe longer term borrowing and repayment to reduce the burden on the regulatory framework. That is something we have to balance, but we do need this grid investment. I put it to the Deputy again that projects like the North-South interconnector are absolutely required. This is consented to both sides of the Border and it is not developed. It needs to happen. The connector is one project that will bring down energy bills for businesses and households straight away.

I think we all agree that the equity investment we were discussing last night is necessary. Unfortunately, however, there does not seem to be anything there to safeguard against repeating past mistakes to ensure that the investment is directed towards the social good and to prioritising energy affordability. One company, Energia, justified its recent price hikes based on the network charge increases. On its website it says that it has worked to minimise the impact on customers but that the price changes are unavoidable. At a recent appearance before the committee, however, concerns were raised that network charge increases could not be used to explain its recent price hikes because the network charges increased by €29 but its charges increased by €200. This suggests that the energy suppliers may be using network costs to facilitate extra profit, which is not surprising. To date, the committee has received no update from the regulator about its justification. At a minimum, we need transparency as to how the costs are translated into bills and mechanisms to safeguard against profiteering.

As regards cost transparency, absolutely, and we need an analysis, and we are doing an analysis, of the costs that are there. I have met the four largest energy providers and have interrogated them on this very matter. We have to watch this very closely. Energy bills are too high in Ireland. They are too high right across Europe. In Cyprus, net energy costs are about 20% of average net pay, so we are not on our own on this. We are about the eighth most expensive in Europe. As I mentioned to Deputy Whitmore earlier, there are unique reasons for that because of our being an island nation, but we need to take measures that will drive down costs permanently. We will always be at risk of geopolitical issues too, though. That is why we need to continue and accelerate the delivery of clean energy and renewables - energy that we ourselves own and can generate to decarbonise our society, to reduce energy bills and to secure energy for the future of this country. That is what drives me. Affordability is key and central to that. Every discussion I have at the European Council and with energy providers is about affordability. We have to work hard on that to drive down costs and provide affordability but also support those who need it most. That is why the measures in the budget were so critical.

Everywhere I go these days I see houses getting energy upgrades. They will ensure that our homes will be easier and cheaper to heat and keep warm, which is very welcome. Might the Minister have the number of homes that have completed energy upgrades this year and how that compares with previous years?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta for his question. My Department funds a number of grant schemes administered by the SEAI for solar PV and heat pump installation as part of the national retrofit plan. To the end of September 2025, over 41,500 home energy upgrades had been completed with SEAI grant support. That compares with 38,000 in the same period in 2024, 34,000 in 2023, 16,062 in 2022, 9,938 in 2021 and 12,573 in 2020. That represents 10% growth on last year and 22% on 2023, showing strong momentum.

I acknowledge that the approval and completion timelines remain a challenge. We are particularly focused on deep retrofits and the warmer homes scheme. Average wait times, as acknowledged earlier in the House, remain high because the works are complex and demand is strong. We will continue to invest in skilled workers, more contractors and streamlined processes. We are also taking action including simplification of the application process. We are expanding the one-stop shop, which now comprises over 26 contractors, the home energy improvement loan, with rates of 2.99%, and building capacity, which must grow to meet current demand.

Budget 2026 also provided €558 million, an 89% increase, that will be supplemented with ERDF funding. On the specific data in regard to ramping up delivery, we hope by 2030 that targets of over 500,000 B2 retrofits and over 400,000 heat pumps will be delivered.

One of the issues I have heard from people who have looked to upgrade their traditional built houses, many of which are in our towns and villages as the Minister of State is well aware, is the potential need to engage conservation professionals, given the construction methods. This puts a far greater cost burden on the owner. I am led to believe there is a significant shortage in such professionals, both technical and practical. This makes for huge delay in delivering the energy upgrades and therefore they are far less attractive. For example, the cost of conservation technical expertise to ensure the internal and external walls of these properties are treated properly could erode a grant available of up to 60%. Does the Minister of State have a breakdown of the number of traditional properties that have taken on these energy upgrades? Will the Minister of State consider putting some extra funding in place for people who own these properties to engage conservation professionals?

I thank the Deputy for his question and for outlining the challenges faced by some homeowners. We are looking at continuing policy development in regard to the national retrofit plan. In recent years, significant changes have been introduced as part of the retrofitting scheme. One part of that was a new pilot to support the retrofitting of traditional built homes. I will work with the Deputy on the specific instance he has raised. We have also introduced two pilots aimed at informing approaches to increase the number of heat pumps installed. We know as demand increases a lot of the traditional built homes that may have conservation challenges will become a lot more expensive to retrofit. We are working at streamlining the processes. If there are examples that the Deputy wants to share with us, we certainly will work with SEAI and try to build them into a broader programme that meets the needs of everyone throughout the country.

There is an upgrade scheme through the SEAI at the minute called the traditional home pilot scheme. There is a low uptake, and this is directly related to the costs associated with conservation technical expertise and the lack of conservation professionals. Will the Minister of State provide details as to the number of expressions of interest there have been through the one-stop shops and the number of those who have followed through with the applications? If we are serious about upgrading many of the older properties in the country - and let us be honest there are lots of them - many of them use turf and coal for heating and have thermal inefficiencies, we will have to acknowledge the reality around the added costs associated with treating them properly.

Over 41,500 upgrades have been completed so far this year. We have been building momentum. I do not have the numbers on hand for traditional built housing, but I certainly can get that back to the Deputy. As I said earlier, we need more skills and contractors and better supply chain resilience. That is why we are very much focused on more SEAI staff for the warmer homes scheme, and indeed, more one-stop shop operators. It is at 26 already. To the Deputy's point, it needs to be ensured that all homes are included. To get that specific skill set and expertise is something we can go to back to SEAI on and revert to the Deputy on. We will get the figures to the Deputy around warmer home retrofits for traditional homes.

I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Liam Quaide. Has the Minister of State's attention has been drawn to the large-scale fish kill mortalities that occurred on the River Blackwater in County Cork in August 2025; the actions he will take to prevent similar future occurrences; and if he will make a statement on the matter?

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Government, my Department and the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, are fully committed to protecting our rivers, safeguarding our fish stocks and supporting local communities and anglers. I fully recognise and acknowledge the seriousness of the fish kill on the River Blackwater near Mallow. This event has had a major impact on local community anglers and the wider catchment. From the outset, the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, was in regular contact with Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Cork County Council, local councillors and Oireachtas Members in the area. He has visited this site twice and established an interagency group to co-ordinate, investigate and respond. The investigation concluded in September by IFI on behalf of the interagency group set up to co-ordinate the investigation. The report is published on the IFI's website. The report provides a clear account of the State's response to and the investigation into the incident. The incident conclusively rules out systemic disease, water quality issues and licensed discharge. Evidence pointed to a short-lived waterborne irritant that dissipated before it could be traced as a source.

While it is regrettable that no specific cause was found, I assure the House that this was not due to a lack of effort or action but because the event was transient. The Minister of State and the Department are satisfied that every avenue was investigated with over 40 site inspections, 900 chemical screens, pathology tests and extensive monitoring, sampling and surveys carried out by the interagency group. The priority is now to apply lessons learned from this event, strengthen enforcement and build resilience to ensure that we are better prepared to prevent and respond to any such further incidents. On that note, IFI has commenced the process of formalising a joint protocol with other relevant State agencies to address significant future pollutant events that result in fish kill. This will ensure that a combined emergency response will be deployed as quickly as possible to mitigate the effects of significant pollution discharge that impacts fish and their habitats.

I thank the Minister of State very much. I visited the site with Deputy Quaide and spoke to many of the anglers there. It was a devastating fish kill. It was probably way more than 40,000 fish, such as trout, that were killed. The problem is that once those fish are gone, they are gone. Their reproduction capacity is gone. It will take more than ten years to get the river back to a standard and that will not naturally happen either. There has to be serious management and monitoring of the river because there are invasive species in it and they may now become the dominant species there. It is important issue that needs to be taken care. I welcome the interagency group. It is important that protocol is put in place immediately or as soon as possible. What was clear from investigating this was that all the different agencies were working in their own silos. There was little overlap between them. Unfortunately, the delays that happened allowed for that contaminant to wash through the system before any investigations could happen.

I thank the Deputy for her focus and attention, along with her colleague's, on this matter. It is the responsibility of Inland Fisheries Ireland to continue to safeguard the fish stock and the habitat within the River Blackwater near Mallow. The Minister of State is extensively engaging on the management plan moving into the future regarding this significant incident. As the Deputy said, three key measures have been established: the joint emergency protocol, the independent review and we and the Minister of State are examining legislative amendments to strengthen IFI's enforcement powers and to ensure that we continue to work with other agencies regarding future and faster responses in the context of the significant incidents that occurred in Cork. The Deputy can be assured that my Department and all of its officials working with IFI are very much focused on what the learnings will be and how we can implement them into any future responses.

What also became apparent during those discussions following that fish kill is that there are major gaps in the EPA enforcement programme.

The agency has a national priority sites register, which has the poorest performing sites on it. For example, it monitors 900 sites and four are currently on that list, so they really are the poorest performing sites and North Cork Creameries is one of them. North Cork Creameries received its licence in 2019. It has been on the national priority list for the EPA in quarter 3 in 2021, quarters 2,3 and 4 in 2022, all of 2023, all of 2024 and two quarters in 2025. Despite all those compliance issues, the EPA has not suspended the creamery's licence yet. It is incredible that an entity can be in non-compliance for the majority of its licence period with no enforcement actions undertaken by the EPA other than an €11,000 fine. For a company that generates a profit in excess of €200 million, €11,000 is a drop in the ocean. It will make no difference. Can the Minister of State please look into the EPA's enforcement processes and ensure that when entities are in non-compliance they are held accountable?

We need to be very careful identifying ----

These are all facts. They are on the register.

-----specific entities here in the House without the right to reply.

They have already been on the climate committee-----

Allow the Minister of State respond, Deputy.

In fairness, we need to be very careful of the language we use regarding the extensive investigation that was undertaken around the ongoing monitoring of the River Blackwater and other catchments. It is incumbent on us to ensure this is done through an evidence-based, fact-finding mission. We are reassured that no water quality issues have been detected. We have also ensured that the river remains safe for angling and recreation. We have also monitored the drinking water for the Mallow treatment plant. That has been confirmed as safe and, indeed, we are taking significant measures in how we can make our system stronger, faster and more resilient to protect fish stock and the habitat.

This is not the strategic, public-led, public owned infrastructure; this is the commercial one.

Tuigim an cheist. I want to put this in context. We go back to the Energy Security in Ireland to 2030 report that we published, and we published the Cambridge Economic Policy Associates report as well. We offered briefings on that too. A very clear risk was identified in that we have no gas reserve in this country. That is why we are proceeding with the floating storage and regasification unit, FSRU, which will be State-owned, State-led and State-operated. I expect we will receive a decision shortly from Gas Networks Ireland, GNI, on preferred locations. State-owned and State-led is absolutely needed and required. My focus is on expanding renewables, reducing our dependency on fossil fuels and moving away from them. We operate an open and transparent legal regulatory and planning consenting framework. Any application for fossil fuel infrastructure in Ireland will be subject to appropriate approvals by the relevant bodies. They also have to have regard to the provisions of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. Government policy on reducing fossil fuel use is set out in our programme for Government. We are absolutely committed to it. We remain of the view that long-term energy security is best achieved through substantial growth in indigenous clean, renewable energy; improvements in energy efficiency, which we have discussed; electrification of heat and transport; and increased electrical interconnection with our neighbours. The Celtic interconnector is under construction. We will have the MaresConnect interconnector, and we are engaging with European partners on another interconnector to continental Europe. Any application made for any fossil fuel generation is a matter for the planning authority, but it must have regard to our climate Act and our programme for Government.

As the Minister will be aware, An Coimisiún Pleanála asked for guidance specifically on commercial LNG facilities and storage from him. His response to that letter and that request for guidance did not mention commercial at all. He did not actually provide a clear answer to the board, and he essentially gave the same response as he has just given to me, but that is not the same as giving a clear policy direction. The previous Government gave a clear policy direction on fracked gas. That is no longer in place. What I am looking for, and I hope the Government will do in recognition of the fact that it wants us to move away from fossil fuels, is a clear policy direction from the Minister to say that private commercial LNG facilities is not a policy the Government wants implemented in Ireland. That was the kind of direction An Coimisiún Pleanála was looking for. It will be making its decision on this in early 2026. Will the Minister please provide that guidance?

As the Deputy knows, I received a letter from An Coimisiún Pleanála that was addressed to the wrong office. It was received months after it was sent. I thought it was a strange letter to receive from An Coimisiún Pleanála, but I did respond to it. I provided the Government's position on it.

The Deputy mentioned the fracked gas policy that was set aside. It was set aside because my predecessor received legal advice that clearly stated it was not legally sound and that policy should not differentiate between the type of LNG. It is a matter for An Coimisiún Pleanála to make a decision on a specific planning application. I do not mean to be evasive, but I am acutely aware that there is an application and proceedings relating to a specific application and I do not want to say anything that would in any way, shape or form be seen as reaching into the planning process. However, I did respond to the letter I received from An Coimisiún Pleanála. I responded to it in the timeframe that was asked. An Coimisiún Pleanála will consider the application as it is received. It is up to the commission to decide upon it.

I understand the Minister cannot reach into specific planning applications, but what he can do, and the Government has a responsibility to do, is provide clear policy positions on energy growth, development and security in this country. The Minister has already done it in relation to publicly owned LNG. I am asking - and this would be in line with the climate Act - that the Minister puts forward a clear policy position to say the only LNG facility the Government will consider appropriate is a publicly owned one and that there should not be any consideration or development of privately owned LNG facilities in Ireland. The reality is, if a privately owned LNG facility is established, there is no way that any Government could justify spending nearly €1 billion on a publicly owned one. My fear is that if the privately owned facility gets the go ahead, the Government will quietly kick to touch the publicly owned one and instead rely on that privately owned one. It is really important the Minister is clear on this.

I understand the point being made. We are committed to the publicly owned FSRU. We have actually advanced it. We meet regularly on this with GNI involved with my own officials and myself to expedite the delivery of it. Hopefully, the Deputy will see that in the coming weeks. I expect there will be a decision regarding options for its location, and indeed, its location. That is what the Government is committed to from an energy security perspective. That is absolutely consistent with the climate action plan. I want continued expansion of renewables and the acceleration of clean energy across all the different methods that we can, be they solar, wind, anaerobic digestion, AD, biomethane and all of that, to feed into our energy system. That is where we are moving. We are doing well but we need to accelerate that further. Any gas reserve will be State-owned and State-managed, and it is not for a private entity to deliver that for the State. That is not our position. It will be State-owned, State-led and State-managed.

I thank the Deputy for his question. Our Department is very committed to helping households cut energy, reduce emissions and generate their own clean power. Grants of up to €1,800 are available through the SEAI for solar photovoltaic, PV, installations in homes built and occupied before 2021. Since 2022, over 90,000 homes have received grants totalling over €196.7 million, delivering 450 MW of installed capacity and saving over 93 kt of CO2.

This high demand shows the scheme is working and the solar industry has scaled up to meet market needs. Homes built since 2021 must comply with Part 11 of the building regulations which set high energy performance standards. Builders can meet these requirements by installing heat pumps and-or solar PV during construction, which is typically cheaper than retrofitting. New builds, therefore, already enjoy significantly higher energy efficiency compared to older homes.

In addition, since May 2023 the VAT rate for solar PV installation in private dwellings was reduced to zero. This applies to new builds as well as existing homes. There are no plans to change the eligibility criteria at this stage but the scheme will be kept under review. Meanwhile, households can benefit from the clean export guarantee which pays for the excess electricity exported to the grid. The rate is currently between 15 cent and 25 cent per kilowatt, depending on suppliers. The Government is also investing record funding of over €550 million in budget 2026 to support energy upgrades, including solar PV and the national retrofit plan. As we are making it easier and cheaper for households to install solar PV through grants, zero VAT and export payments, we will also ensure newer buildings meet high energy standards from day one.

I refer to a person who has worked abroad to save money in order to come back and build a house in Ireland. Due to the contribution they are making to the cost of building, they are unable to receive any grants and are also excluded from solar energy grants.

People with a set income are only entitled to borrow a certain amount of money. They may also receive support from parents. Where parents provide support, that brings people building a house under the qualifying criteria. Therefore, they do not receive any grants. Parents are providing funding to help a son or daughter build a house but that brings them under the grant qualifications and they are then not entitled to any grants for solar panels. Could that issue be reviewed? I refer in particular to people who are not getting any grants of any description under the new build programme.

I thank the Deputy and understand the merits of the question on affordability and the challenges people may encounter when building homes. However, the grant eligibility for solar PV is very much focused on older homes where the need is greatest. Many homes built since 2021 must comply, as I said in my earlier contribution, with Part L of the building regulations and require high energy performance. Many builders have included heat pumps or solar PV during construction. Indeed, it reduces the overall installation cost because if it is not included in a new build, the costs will be greater compared to retrofitting. We are very much focused on older buildings and, therefore, newer buildings already have a higher energy efficiency than others.

As I said, I am speaking about people who are restricted in the amount they can borrow. Therefore, they are receiving assistance from parents which brings them under the qualifying criteria. Many of the new houses that are being built have air to water systems which are very expensive. People are installing such systems but are getting no support from the State because they receive support from parents. It is an issue that needs to be examined, in particular for those who do not qualify for a first-time purchase or owner's grant. When they get support from immediate family, they are penalised. Should there be a scheme whereby people can qualify for grants for heating systems when they have not qualified for a first-time owners grant? This would provide some incentive to put in place a system that is efficient and cost-effective.

I again thank the Deputy for his response. We have already made changes to the uptake on solar PV installations. In May 2023, in order to bridge the affordability challenges we reduced the VAT rate to zero, which applies to new builds as well as existing homes. That was an important step forward. In doing so, we drove down the cost. As I said, retrofitting new homes on the basis that they will be eligible is not best practice for any builders, contractors or installers. The cost will be significantly greater. We will consider grant eligibility and that will be kept under review. At present, it is not intended to change the scheme. We have prioritised homes with the greatest need and over 90,000 homes have received grants extending to over €196 million.

I am standing in for Deputy Carthy. I ask the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his proposals to increase the amount of polyethylene terephthalate, PET, plastic recycled in Ireland. The EU is discussing collating data. We have to export a huge proportion of it. Since the deposit return scheme was introduced, the recycling rate has risen from 49% to 91%, 76% of which is from the deposit return scheme and 15% of which is from mixed recycling. Some €4.6 million was spent on public awareness last year and €50.7 million on administrative costs. While the deposit return scheme has achieved progress, there are serious questions about transparency, compensation and unreturned deposits.

My Department is committed to increasing recycling rates, reducing plastic waste and supporting investment in domestic recycling capacity. In 2023, Ireland recycled 30% of plastic packaging, exceeding the EU target of 22.5%. However, stricter targets of 50% by 2025 and 55% by 2030 will be challenging. These figures cover all plastics, including PET. As EU exporting reporting does not isolate individual polymers, currently most PET collected is recycled abroad due to economic viability, but measures are underway to change that.

The deposit return scheme introduced in 2024 was a game changer, creating a high quality separate PET stream for recycling. Over 2 billion bottles and cans have been returned and there is a 76% return rate, close to the EU target of 77% by 2025. Under the single use plastic directive, PET plastic beverage bottles must include 25% recycled content from 2025, rising to 30% by 2030. This creates strong market demand for recycled PET and makes investment in Ireland's recycling infrastructure more attractive. Schemes like the deposit return scheme and Repak play a key role in meeting targets and supporting investment. Repak currently provides €100 per 10 tonnes of plastics recycled in Ireland and is working with industry to expand capacity. The forthcoming whole-of-government circular economy strategy will set ambitious targets to reduce resource use, increase reuse and drive innovation. My Department is working closely to create conditions for higher PET recycling rates through regulation, market incentives and investment in domestic capacity.

What measures are being taken to ensure a greater proportion of the plastic is recycled? When will they be put in place? Schemes like the deposit return scheme can only be successful with public support. Of course it is, in effect, based on taxpayers' money via the rebate. With the most households already stretched, every additional cent has to be justified.

We need transparency. I know that Re-Turn produced its annual report in August. It failed to disclose the CEO salary, but what we did learn raises questions about how the collected revenue is being used. Five members of the management team were paid €1.1 million in 2024. When it was questioned recently by the Business Post , Re-Turn declined to comment on how much compensation was connected to the package of the CEO. It is, therefore, the second year in a row that it did not disclose key management personnel compensation. The compensation increased by 50% when the board met less often in 2024 compared to 2023. Three quarters of the board is made up of representatives of the drinks industry. They are obliged to conduct a scheme. Will the Government disclose this information to increase accountability, transparency and support from the public?

Re-Turn has done a tremendous job over the last 18 months since the deposit return scheme, DRS, was introduced. Re-Turn, and the composition of its company as part of the extended producer responsibility, EPR, in the delivery of the DRS, is not obliged under the company law Act to publish its salaries. In good faith, however, it does provide its annual report, as per our Department requirements, and we are very much working closely with it to try to ramp up the DRS. To date, it has been very successful. Over €2 billion euro in bottles and cans has been returned. The reality we face here in Ireland is that up to now, we have lacked a full bottle-to-bottle recycling facility and while some plants can produce polyethylene terephthalate, PET, flakes, specialist equipment for food grade recycling has not yet been available. Due to the success of the DRS, we now have a consistent supply of high-quality PET. This makes investment viable, and that is something we are working on into the future.

I thank the Minister of State for that part of the reply, but the question about what happens to the Re-Turn money and the money made from the scheme requires a bit more clarity. The unredeemed deposits are worth over €100 million. Income generated from producer fees and recycled material is €50 million and although the report mentions unreturned deposits of €66 million, it was actually €103.2 million, so Re-Turn deducted €36 million as an estimate of how much deposits would be returned after the year end. These are substantial sums we are talking about, and the public is entitled to know how it will be used because the taxpayer, in effect, is paying the bill. Does the Minister of State know how long Re-Turn will hold the unredeemed deposits? What are its obligations? How will the other income generated be used or returned for the public good? It is scandalous that nearly 90% of the plastic collected is shipped out of Ireland - 7,000 tonnes of plastic - and Re-Turn claims that this is because we do not have the facilities. Has the Minister of State discussed how the unreturned deposits can be given to the public good, and what measures will be used to increase our recycling capacity?

Again, we are working on how we can build additional capacity into our recycling systems to avoid the additional exportation of PET. I will say that Re-Turn has been good to work with. It is very efficient. It is a retail-led scheme. We have seen the success of it. It has been widely recognised. We are exploring avenues in regard to how we make use of the unredeemed deposits. The establishment of a recycling bottle-to-bottle plant will be an important part of how we deal with the additional consistent supply of high-quality PET, and it makes the investment viable. No decision has been made in that regard yet. We are working through that with Re-Turn, and we will make that decision known in due course.

A number of Deputies whose questions we passed over were at committee meetings but they have just joined us. I will come back to Deputy Ó Murchú's question. If the Deputy could be brief, we will try to get other Deputies in as well.

Go raibh maith agat. I ask the Minister if there is scope in the recently announced new technical and financial advisory support to help to develop a district heating system utilising the European Investment Bank, EIB. The Minister will not be shocked that I am wondering whether we can find a solution in relation to Carlinn Hall. I have spoken to him before about how stakeholders are trying to put together a solution. There are an awful lot of steps to go, but it is about ensuring we look after people in Carlinn Hall.

I thank the Deputy. Government policy is supportive of the expansion of district heating to contribute to the diversification of fuel supply to decarbonise the heat sector. We have massive opportunities there. We have not done well in Ireland. We have one district heating scheme in place in Tallaght, but we have a number of others that we can deliver in the near term. To this end, the district heating steering group report was approved by the Government the year before last. The report contains a suite of recommendations, but we really need to move on this.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, has engaged with the EIB on foot of a recommendation in the steering group report to explore financing options for the establishment of a viable district heating sector in Ireland, including supports available from the EIB. I met with officials from the EIB, and we signed an agreement the week before last. My Department is now engaged, through the SEAI, in undertaking a comprehensive advisory project, which will draw on best practice across Europe to help to inform the long-term strategy for developing district heating systems in Ireland. I am speaking at the district heating Ireland conference next week, and I expect to have expressions of interest in other schemes on that.

In tandem, we are looking at the heat (networks and miscellaneous provisions) Bill, which will introduce a regulatory framework on district heating. The general scheme of the Bill has been approved by the Government. It has been drafted with the intention of appointing the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, CRU, as the regulator for all heat networks, including district and communal heating, which Carlinn Hall falls under. The general scheme sets out proposed functions for the regulator, so there is work ongoing.

The Deputy has raised Carlinn Hall on a number of occasions in this Chamber. It is a private scheme. It is not a district heating scheme. The SEAI has provided - I have asked them to provide - advisory assistance to residents. I believe that is under way. There are some solutions there. We are a long way from the EIB being able to assist Carlinn Hall residents, but if we can continue to provide advisory support to residents, I will continue to ensure that happens. Some bespoke solutions have been put forward to residents in that development and it is something they will need to advance, but if we can provide support in an advisory way, we will.

I asked about facilitation.

The cost of energy, oil, gas and home heating oil is a huge burden on so many people. I am conscious that the Minister has been advancing a plan on energy efficiency and affordability in particular. The Minister has already started implementing some of the measures ahead of publishing the plan. One issue that is starting to bite - it is very difficult for people - is the retrofitting and home upgrade area whereby the council grant for older people has been changed so they are not able to get a grant for the oil heater. Again, this is something that will be coming up in an emergency situation very often.

That European directive was transposed in relation to that. We are not permitted, and rightly so, to provide grant aid for fossil fuel boilers. There are other options, however, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, and other things at which we are looking. We are looking at some supports within that space. We are moving away from fossil fuel boilers.

We are doing well as a country with regard to energy generation through renewables. As I said, it was over 41% last year. However, particularly, although not exclusively, in rural areas, there is a preponderance of both oil and gas boilers. That grant aid is not permitted any more through EU directives that we have transposed. We will look at other options, particularly around HVO and what we might be able to do in that space.

I know the Deputy was at a committee meeting, but I have given some quite substantial responses with regard to energy affordability this morning. The interim report has been published now. The Deputy rightly said that we have actually taken measures in the budget, such as the permanent reduction to 9% VAT, the increase in the fuel allowance and the expansion of the fuel allowance to the working family payment. We are talking about another 50,000 households in that space. I met with the four main energy companies directly. At my request, they have established hardship funds across those providers for the winter months and I am grateful that they have. Energy affordability remains a challenge and a priority for the Government. That is why the main work of the affordability task force will continue through the course of this year to look at network charges and a regulatory framework.

We also need work at European level in relation to the construct of the European market for electricity and how the Spark app in particular is dealt with. That is a discussion I am having at a European level.

Is the Department of climate working with the Department of housing on the delivery of updated wind energy guidelines? I would be grateful for an update on same. Is there any anticipated timeline for when we can expected updated wind energy guidelines? It is of huge concern to the people of Galway East. I appreciate any response.

We are working on them. This has been ongoing for a number of years but since 2023, consultants have been appointed. It is being screened. We are doing a specific piece of work on noise. That is in my Department. We work with the lead Department in relation to the publication of the draft guidelines. This is not passing the buck; it is just a fact that the lead Department is the Department of housing and local government. We are working in conjunction with it. Once the draft guidelines are published, they will be published for public consultation. I want to see an expansion of renewables, which we are seeing, and expansion of wind energy, solar, utilising biomethane and AD and other forms of renewable energy. For clarity's sake and for communities, the guidelines are being updated, need to be updated and will be published in draft form. I cannot give an exact timeframe but work is advanced and nearing completion in that regard. I will respond to the Deputy directly after I consult the Minister, Deputy Browne.