I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss this all-important issue. I welcome the fact that back in October 2025 the solar PV for the medically vulnerable scheme was extended to all homeowners registered under the life-support category of the priority services register with the energy supplier. There seem to be a lot of inconsistencies and uncertainty about the scheme. There is no one-stop shop for people to make inquiries.

I have been working with Councillor Vicki Casserly and Councillor Robbie Staples who is in Wexford with regard to people who are vulnerable or have life-changing conditions but do not seem to be able to qualify for the scheme. In some cases when families have contacted the providers, whoever answers the phone says they are not sure whether they are in the scheme. In one case a provider said it does not provide the scheme but we are told by the Department that all providers are included. There seems to be inconsistency regarding how people qualify for the scheme and the eligibility criteria. Some people with a motorised wheelchair, a bed or other life-saving equipment at home are being told they do not qualify for the scheme. There seems to be confusion about who qualifies, how they qualify and what exactly they are entitled to.

I believe an educational programme needs to be run for the energy providers. Perhaps they should be brought in to be educated on the scheme. Certainly to date the scheme does not seem to have been working. It does work for some people, if they meet somebody who knows what they are talking about, but there seems to be confusion around what is life protection and who is considered to be a vulnerable person. The scheme mentions electrical and technological equipment. Most of the people I have been speaking to have medical electrical and technological equipment but they are being told they do not qualify. I am trying to get clarity on the scheme.

I thank Senator Byrne for raising this important matter. She is seeking clarity, she spoke about inconsistency and she is seeking a one-stop-shop, which would be very worthwhile. She also asked for an education programme for the energy providers. I will bring this back to the Minister also.

The solar PV for the medically vulnerable scheme is a targeted scheme for the installation of solar PV panels for household customers who are registered on the life-support category of the priority services register. Each household registered on this category has a dependence on electrically powered equipment, including medical equipment, life-protecting devices and assistive technologies. Examples include individuals requiring dialysis machines or respirators. Reliance on this equipment can result in such households having higher energy demand than the average user and this scheme is designed to go some way towards helping to reduce these energy costs.

The scheme provides a fully funded 2kWp solar PV system for eligible households. This includes survey and design, supply, installation, and the post-works BER. The scheme is wholly managed by the registered energy suppliers, with each of the suppliers contacting their own eligible customers directly, in line with the work plans for their solar PV installers. Offers are issued to households in batches.

The scheme was launched in 2022, with an overall budget allocation of €20 million. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, reports that 137 systems were installed in 2024, with expenditure of €1.78 million. A total of 473 systems were installed last year, with expenditure of €2.4 million. I am glad to report that this year will see a major expansion of delivery, with an allocation of €11.7 million expected to support over 1,900 homes. Initially, the scheme was limited to individuals who were in the life support category of the priority services register in 2022, when the scheme was launched. However, due to the strong uptake and the positive impact already observed, the scheme is now being extended to include all homeowners who are registered under the life support category of the priority services register, regardless of when they were registered. This will open up the scheme to a wider cohort. The extension was committed to by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, arising from the first report of the national energy affordability task force.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, suppliers’ handbook requires suppliers to establish and maintain their own vulnerable customer registers and ensure vulnerable customer data is forwarded to ESB Networks for inclusion on the industry register. Suppliers are also required by the CRU to take reasonable steps to identify customers at sign-up who are eligible to register as vulnerable customers. Most energy suppliers have agreed to participate in the scheme, with some suppliers more advanced in their programme than others. Each energy supplier has their own arrangements with the SEAI on when they will proceed with installation as this is dependent on the suppliers’ individual solar PV installers and their capacity and location. I thank the Senator for her views and I will bring them back to the Minister.

I thank the Minister of State. As he has said himself in his response on behalf of the Minister, it is up to the company to contact the applicant. In some cases some people have actually had no contact. They cannot contact them because they have to wait to be contacted. They are also being told it is not clear whether they qualify. Clarity needs to be established. An educational programme needs to be put in place for the providers because they need to be clear with their message. It also needs to be made quite clear what exactly a vulnerable person is and what life-saving equipment is. It does refer to electrically powered equipment and assistive technology but people who have that equipment and different types of machines do not seem to qualify under the scheme.

I thank the Senator for bringing this important issue to the floor of the Seanad, which is where it really should be discussed. While I am here, I must say I have fond memories of my times in the Seanad, first from 2002 to 2007 and then from 2016 to 2020.

You would always be welcome back.

He might prefer not to come back.

This issue has been brought to Senator Byrne by local councillors on the ground who listen to their constituents. I think we agree this target scheme provides critical support to some of the most vulnerable households in the country. As the Senator has rightly said, maybe the people who are providing the service need to be upskilled or retrained on how to deliver it. I am not saying they are not doing their job, but sometimes we probably need to put more pressure on them to liaise even more perfectly with their customers. I again thank the Senator.

I thank the Minister of State. We greatly appreciate his time here and we really appreciate him coming to the House.