Darragh O'Brien
Dublin Fingal East · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“The appropriate next time to do that is once the ANCA decision is finalised and the public consultation is concluded, which will be on 3 September. Obviously, there will be a period required after that when the submissions to ANCA will be looked at. That is where the consultation is. That will happen over the coming months.”
“I have already mentioned the more than 3 million passengers who flew through Cork Airport and the growth of Shannon Airport, which has just had its best half a year and which now has over 40 routes. However, a small number of people are impacted and they need to be listened to.”
“Others did not want it at all. I think Shane Ross was Minister for transport at the time. That has been done. That is in place. This decision will be made. I do not have a timeframe. Hopefully it will be soon after the submissions from the public on the draft noise decision is made. That would feed into both.”
“An Investec report published in, I believe, 2022 said that to maintain the cap at 32 million between now and 2030 would jeopardise up to about 19,000 jobs. That is the reality of it. I support the workers in the airport. I am from the community myself. The airport has to grow in a sustainable way.”
“I have also made it clear that even though, and this is a fact, international aviation emissions are outside the scope of the climate action plan, we are taking actions aligned with the global approach to decarbonisation of the aviation industry, which is based on the International Civil Aviation Organization's basket of measures to ensur…”
“I have already highlighted the planning decision on the DAA’s infrastructure application. We discussed that at some length over the course of the last nearly two hours. That application seeks to raise the passenger cap to 40 million and provide for much-needed additional infrastructure at Dublin Airport.”
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“Large events are taken into account too but fortunately there is rarely a weekend that there are not major events in the capital city. I take the point the mini-marathon is a staple in our national calendar and I will bring that back.”
“There is significant advance notice given. We need to improve the additional services that are there. I can tell the Deputy there are additional bus services this weekend serving the northern line. There is no easy answer to this. Lines need to be upgraded. Overhead lines, railway tracks and embankments need to be worked on. That all needs to happen. I cannot tell the Deputy we can avoid doing work on the May or June bank holidays. You can get a significant amount of work done on a continuous basis. That is the advantage to the workers who are carrying out that essential work. I appreciate it is disruptive and I take the point. I will bring the Deputy's feedback to the company to see if there is a way of just using the Monday.”
“All those details are pre-announced and they are all up on the website. It is also advertised that there will be disruption when lines are closed for maintenance. There is no easy way of doing this. There is only so much work you can get done during night-time hours because we are running earlier and later trains, so the gap for maintenance at night is shorter. That is why if we can get 76 hours of continuous work done, that is banked and we do not have to do it over successive weekends.”
“This is an operational matter. I do not direct Iarnród Éireann as to when it maintains its lines. I recognise there will unquestionably be inconvenience to people. Bank holiday weekends allow engineers to work continuously for 76 hours on the line and get extensive work done that does not have to be spread over other weekends. Fortunately, there is very rarely a weekend where there is not a major event on in this country and in our capital city. That could be sport, concerts, mini-marathons or whatever. That is good because it is a vibrant city and a lot of people use the city. DART services will operate on the southern line from Greystones into the city. It is the northern line that will be impacted. There are additional bus services put on that line. During the June bank holiday further work will happen.”
“I know that when events like the VHI mini-marathon are on, which will see approximately 30,000 people coming in, additional bus services are put on. However, I will be honest and say that, that looking through the details, the buses will serve major stations and not every station. I think that is an area that can and should be improved on. People get that we have to maintain our lines and make sure that they are safe and upgraded. I will come back with more information during supplementary.”
“Disruption to services occurs when Iarnród Éireann is replacing or improving essential infrastructure like tracks, bridges, signalling and overhead lines or assisting third parties with major works. We do this to ensure that, at peak times when more people are travelling, the network is robust and we will not see outages in the system. The company is also currently engaged in the multi-annual programme of overhead line renewal and track renewal across the DART network. Iarnród Éireann chooses bank holiday weekends to undertake projects of significant scale. The extra weekend day allows them to achieve more progress more efficiently, avoiding impacts across multiple weekends and weekday passengers. It is standard international railway practice for bank holidays to be used in this way.”
“I thank the Deputy for the question. As she knows, essential maintenance is being carried out and there is inconvenience for people, but I will put this in context. The majority of maintenance works on the rail network take place overnight or in a way that will see little or no disruption to services. In some instances, however, this disruption is unfortunately unavoidable, such as for the upcoming May and June bank holiday weekends. I genuinely understand that while it is frustrating, it is an essential part of maintaining our rail network. To support the maintenance of our rail network, we are investing close to €2.1 billion over the period 2026 to 2030. This year alone we will invest over €350 million in resilience and upgrading of tracks and network. The annual investment will increase year on year to almost €465 million by 2030.”
“We are keeping this under review. We will change the offerings if we can see that by changing them more people will access them. There are substantial grants and savings for businesses if they pivot to electric.”
“The Deputy's point is well made. In the private fleet and private cars, there is a substantial increase in EV registrations. There are over 230,000 EVs on our roads. In the first quarter of this year, there was a significant increase with about 40% of all cars purchased being EVs. Heavy goods vehicles is a more complex area. Confidence needs to be instilled in the sector that there are alternatives. The Deputy is right that the level of drawdown is low. The scheme was reworked at the end of 2024. It is kept under review. I have met officials about it. We would like more supports deployed to this sector to bring the transport sector onto a more sustainable and climate-friendly footing. That can be done but the Deputy rightly pointed out it is a challenge across Europe not just here. I take the Deputy's points on board.”
“This is an area for which substantial grants are available but we need to create confidence in that sector that there is an alternative in using electric instead of diesel in the heavy goods vehicles space.”
“It is a fair point. The road transport support scheme is not a subsidy. It is a cost reduction measure and a viability measure for our supply chain. I do not see it as a fossil fuel grant or incentive for the use of fossil fuel. That said, it is clear the haulage sector in particular and others in the agriculture sector are heavily dependent on fossil fuel, especially heavy goods vehicles. A lot of white van vehicles have changed to EVs and hybrids. It is down to the weight carried. We had 162 electric HGVs registered at the end of 2025. Compressed natural gas is another renewable fuel. We had 157 registered in 2025, a 5% increase. Also, to be fair, in the haulage sector many firms use alternative sustainable fuels and biofuels like biogas and HVO.”
“In February, we published a new national EV charging infrastructure strategy for the next three years in line with the programme for Government commitment. This strategy includes a specific set of measures to support the transition of the HDV sector, taking account of a recent report, the HDV Electrification Pathway Report, which brought the haulage sector and my Department together to determine an appropriate and viable pathway for the sector.”
“The scheme is administered by TII and funded by my Department. It awards grants to assist companies and enterprises that wish to buy zero-emission heavy duty vehicles instead of the diesel equivalent. In November 2024, the scheme was expanded to include purchase grants for recharging infrastructure. The total funding available under this grant scheme since 2024 to date is €11 million. Almost €4 million has been drawn down to support 76 vehicles - not a massive number - all of which are electric and include large HDVs, refuse trucks, large vans and buses. Using this scheme, the Department of Transport is also supporting businesses at the planning stage through the EV fleet assessment grant. This offers fully funded expert assessment to help companies understand how electric vehicles can operate within their existing fleets.”
“This is an important area and we have to look to electrify it. Heavy goods vehicles is one of the more challenging areas to electrify. We are committed to transitioning to a low-carbon economy by 2050. The transport sector has a significant role to play in that. The decarbonisation of heavy duty vehicles will be a key mechanism in achieving this objective within the sector. To promote the decarbonisation of HDVs, we launched the alternatively fuelled heavy duty vehicle purchase grant scheme in March 2021. That scheme was intended to help bridge some of the difference in purchase price between conventional HDVs and those powered by alternatively fuelled powertrains. In line with changes to the state aid regime, the Department amended the scheme to focus on zero-emission vehicles and launched the ZEHDV scheme in 2024.”
“I outlined some of the safety measures that have been brought forward. The number one priority is road safety to reduce road deaths.”
“The RSA is very well resourced to carry out the functions it is charged with. Splitting up the agency would have a detrimental effect. It would take too long. It needs to focus on road safety and education. NCT and driver testing are also important. That feeds into the road safety piece. I will counter the Deputy on one particular thing he said. Driver behaviour and personal responsibility are critical. We all want to see more gardaí enforcing this. Measures have been taken around specific bank holiday weekends when we still see shocking numbers of people driving under the influence or drink and drugs and speeding at excessive and dangerous rates. Enforcement is critical to catch these people and put them off the road - it is as simple as that but more needs to be done.”
“Whatever level of enforcement is there, personal responsibility really needs to be brought to the fore. We all agree on that. There is only so much a Government can do. We need to do more - I am with the Deputy on that - but personal responsibility is critical.”
“We have the road traffic (amendment) Bill coming in later this year. Driver behaviour is critical, though, and that is why education is important. We all see it, we all drive around the country and see some outrageous driver behaviour. It is unacceptable, by the way, for anyone in this day and age to get into a car when they have had alcohol.”
“Undoubtedly, we have seen an increase over the last number of years from a lower base. When you compare Ireland to the rest of Europe, the statistics - this is not to mean the road fatalities themselves - compare favourably and we are still in the upper quartile in relation to prevention of road deaths and the number of road deaths. Again, I say this on the basis that I do not like talking about numbers because there are people behind them. On safety cameras, 390 new safety camera zones became operational from 1 January this year. This brings the total number of safety cameras nationwide to 1,901. The Deputy raised a point and I would say to him that enforcement is unquestionably critical. It is something that my Department discusses with the Department of justice. I continue to engage with the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan.”
“We are also addressing the long-standing issue relating to repeat renewal of learner permits, with regulations coming into effect later this year in November. Yesterday, I published the first national safety camera strategy, which provides a framework for increased deployment of cameras across the road network in urban and rural locations. The use of cameras has been proven to reduce speeding and improve driver behaviour, and I am confident that implementation of this strategy will help us achieve our road safety targets. The Deputy might wish to know that, this year, €14 million has been allocated under the low-cost safety improvement scheme to support small-scale engineering measures to address identified road safety issues.”
“Delivering the action plan is a collaborative effort involving my Department, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, An Garda Síochána, the Road Safety Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, the National Transport Authority, NTA, the Courts Service, and right the way across the board. The Deputy will note that there are many experts across a range of partners collaborating on taking action and delivering positive road safety outcomes, and I would like to assure him that progress is being made. Key deliverables for this year include passing the National Vehicle and Driver File Bill to allow local authorities to resume accepting and processing collision data.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this really important matter. Any death on our roads is one too many. I am always conscious when talking about numbers that behind these numbers are people and families. We have to continue working to improve road safety. One element of it is the continued investment in our roads. Physical infrastructure is critical, as is the safety framework. The current framework for road safety is set out in the Government’s fifth road safety strategy, which has the target of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50% this decade. My Department published the phase 2 action plan under this strategy last July for the period 2025 to 2027. That plan comprises 12 primary transformative actions and 77 supporting actions.”
“However, we need to retain the ability to respond further should this situation deteriorate. We all hope for a de-escalation of the current conflict in the Middle East.”
“The €100 million fuel subsidy support scheme will assist farmers, agricultural contractors and fishers. It was announced by my colleague Deputy Heydon, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The new package of supports is in addition to earlier measures announced in March, including the expansion of the diesel rebate scheme, backdated to January, and an extension of the fuel allowance by a further four weeks. Under the fuel allowance scheme, about one quarter of households in the country, or 470,000, receive direct payments. No doubt, this is a very volatile situation. We have to manage it in a sustainable way on behalf of our people. I have every confidence that we will be able to do that. I appreciate the support of Government Senators and, indeed, Opposition Senators for some of the measures we have taken.”
“The practical measures introduced by the Government on 12 April include reductions in excise on diesel and petrol by a further 10 cent, to 32 cent and 27 cent, respectively; a reduction in excise on marked gas oil, or green diesel, by a further 2.4 cent to 7.4 cent; a deferral of the planned increase in the carbon tax; and a reduction in excise, including the NORA levy reduction, which took effect from midnight on 1 April and will run to the end of July this year. The Government has announced a new road transport support scheme, as well as supports for coach operators providing Local Link services. The combined cost is €40 million per month for three months, backdated to 1 March. That scheme opens today, and it and the agrifood scheme will be open for applications in the next two weeks.”
“As a small open economy with historical reliance on fossil fuels, Ireland is particularly vulnerable to such global energy price shocks. The major disruption to global energy supply because of the conflict in the Middle East has been reflected in extremely volatile commodity prices over the past number of weeks. For that reason, in recent days we introduced an additional package of measures on fuel costs and supports for the transport, farming and fisheries sectors.”
“In the longer term, the delivery of a strategic gas emergency reserve will play a vital role in ensuring Ireland’s energy security. The strategic gas emergency reserve will protect Ireland’s energy systems should any disruption occur to Ireland’s gas infrastructure. It is not intended for commercial use. It will be State-owned, State-managed, State-led and State-operated and will be divested when no longer required to secure Ireland’s energy systems. Although Ireland’s energy security situation is currently stable, it goes without saying that households and businesses are being exposed to higher fuel prices. We recognise this as a Government and we understand the real financial pressures that many across the country are facing because of the developments in the Middle East.”
“Prior to the conflict, only 1% of UK gas supply was sourced from Qatar. Imports have been increasing from the United States and other regions, so there is currently limited risk to imports from Britain. It is not currently anticipated that the Iran conflict will have a material impact on Ireland’s security of electricity supply, and my Department has ongoing contact with EirGrid and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, on any potential risk to security of supply through a number of channels and working groups. I engage with them personally. While the Government is committed to ambitious decarbonisation targets, the variable nature of some renewable technologies currently requires that dispatchable, typically fossil fuel generation remains crucial for ensuring security of supply.”
“On 11 March, Ministers in member countries of the International Energy Agency agreed to initiate an action to release strategic reserves of oil to address the supply issues, and Ireland contributed 1.6 million barrels to alleviate supply pressures. On natural gas, the current assessment is that there is no risk to security of supply in Ireland. The assessment is based on engagement with the International Energy Agency, the European Commission, Britain’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, as well as with Gas Networks Ireland. Ireland imports about 80% of its natural gas from Britain via two subsea interconnectors, with the remaining gas being produced indigenously at the Corrib field. Britain has a diverse supply of natural gas and is not dependent on gas from the Middle East.”
“As a result, Ireland is better prepared to manage the current situation. The response plan has been initiated and sets out a whole-of-government response covering the full duration of an oil emergency response, from initial hazard analysis through to response and recovery. The Government has legal powers and structures in place to manage the situation and to take further action should we need to do so. The National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, provides a strategic buffer to protect Ireland in the event of a severe and prolonged escalation of this crisis. We currently hold about 85 days’ worth of supply in our strategic reserve. This reserve encompasses refined petroleum products, including petrol, diesel, jet fuel and kerosene.”
“Our allocation for 2026 includes €340 million for the warmer homes scheme, which provides fully funded upgrades for those in energy poverty. To date, we have completed about 34,000 homes under the scheme, with grants of 100%. The current oil situation in Ireland is stable, with no issue with supply expected in the next six weeks. In the case of jet fuel, alternative sourcing arrangements have been put in place. Jet fuel is sourced from the United States. My Department has been proactively managing the security of the supply situation in line with the oil emergency response plan. The plan and the underpinning legislation and structures have been substantially enhanced and updated following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, building on the strong foundations already in place.”
“In addition, increasing quantities of batteries, long-duration storage, interconnection capacity and demand-side response have also been procured in recent capacity market auctions, which will lessen Ireland’s dependence on fossil fuel imports in the coming years. Significant supports are available to homes and businesses to boost energy efficiency and to electrify. This will also reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels such as gas and home heating oil. In the budget just gone, a record allocation of €640 million in Exchequer funding was secured, allowing us to target 73,000 home energy upgrades this year alone. This will build on over 250,000 households that have already benefited from home energy upgrades. A deep energy retrofit can save a household up to €1,100 per year in its bills.”
“Solar is not only reducing electricity bills for households and businesses but also is easing pressure on the grid by lowering peak demand and supporting a more resilient energy system. I want to do more to make solar affordable and accessible for householders and businesses. We are prioritising the development of more renewable energy, both onshore and offshore, including through reforming the planning system and making it easier to build clean energy projects. This will protect Irish energy consumers from the volatility of the high cost of imported fossil fuels. We are also accelerating the development of Ireland’s electricity grid to build resilience and to connect renewable energy with demand. We have provided €3.5 billion in equity to Ireland’s onshore and offshore grid.”
“We currently have over 8 GW of renewable electricity generation capacity connected to the network. This a remarkable achievement as it means we have added approximately 5 GW of new renewable electricity generation capacity in just ten years. That includes doubling our wind capacity and establishing solar energy as a major pillar of our energy supply. We are among world leaders for installed onshore wind capacity per capita and we are the European leader in the integration of variable renewable electricity onto the grid. We get a greater share of our electricity from onshore wind farms than from anywhere else in Europe. In a few short years, solar has become a major component of our electricity supply. Solar is now the third highest supplier of indigenously generated electricity to the electricity grid, behind natural gas and wind.”
“The Government has been carefully monitoring the situation in the Middle East and we are taking proactive measures to ensure there is no disruption to our essential fuel imports. It is important to underline that, in the short term, the main impact of the conflict is on fuel prices for Irish consumers. Our security of supply of oil and gas is robust and our energy system is secure. The only way to enhance Ireland’s energy resilience and insulate us from price and supply shocks is to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. That is why the Government is determined to build out more clean Irish renewable energy and to deepen interconnection with our European peers. Just last week, I signed a memorandum of understanding with the Spanish minster for energy, Sara Aagesen Muñoz, in respect of an Irish interconnector with Spain.”
“I welcome the opportunity to discuss the issue of energy security, a topic which has been brought into really sharp focus by the current crisis and conflict in the Middle East. Energy is obviously central to all social and economic activity in Ireland and, while Ireland is significantly increasing our production of renewable energy, we continue to rely on oil and gas as part of our energy and transport systems. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has greatly disrupted the global oil and gas markets. The International Energy Agency reports that around 20% of the world’s oil and liquified natural gas has been blocked since the end of February. The prolonged and ongoing nature of the war and longer-term damage to infrastructure and established trade routes further compound the scale of the impact and the challenge.”
“I appreciate colleagues' remarks and input into the legislation today and look forward to working with them on Committee Stage. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.”
“They are why we have moved forward with this legislation. I see there is broad support for it across the House, maybe with the exception of Deputy Tóibín, which does not surprise me. The Minister of State and I have taken note of all the contributions, as have my officials. This is about improving enforcement and bringing in a more comprehensive suite of enforcement capabilities, like fixed-payment notices, compliance notices, powers to seize and the establishment of solid fuel registers - which, by the way, those in the retail of solid fuel trade really welcome. It is to try to take rogue operators out of the system as best we can. In a nutshell, it is about giving local authorities the tools they have asked for to enforce the rules fairly, consistently and effectively.”
“Again, that reduction is continuing to grow - if that is not an oxymoron and Deputies understand what I mean. There is a 50% increase in active travel to school. It works. We have rolled it out to Pope John Paul II National School in Malahide and other schools around Fingal. While some are calling for legislation and I am happy to look into that, the local authorities are actually doing that in consultation and it really works. It is particularly good for national schools. These are young kids so we do not want idling cars around schools. It changed behaviour and people got used to it. Once there is good consultation, there are those types of measures. We do not need to legislate the hell out of everything. Common sense can prevail many times. A lot of good matters were raised today. The Bill is important. I thank my officials again.”
“I thank all Members who were here earlier and contributed to the debate. A number of good examples have been raised of improvements to air quality. I will give my own area and local authority of Fingal County Council a plug. A scheme was brought in in 2019 called school streets. It was brought in by Councillor Eoghan O'Brien, who was mayor at the time and who happens to be my brother, on a pilot basis in one school, St. Oliver Plunkett National School, Malahide, one of the largest national schools in the country. They closed the road between 8.30 a.m. and 9.15 a.m. and then, in the afternoon, between 1 p.m. and 2.45 p.m. Initially, people were not overly happy at the idea but it is still in place and the air quality around the school improved 20% year on year in the first period. There is a 43% reduction in school-related traffic.”
“We have seen a really significant increase in applications for things like heat pumps, solar, wall cavity insulation and attic insulation as we have made it easier for people to do so. We also have to look at solar storage and battery storage in homes and at utilising our car batteries through EV and solar. I will come back to the Deputy.”
“I will keep the Deputy informed of the progress. We are trying to make it easier to deploy renewables. That is why the critical infrastructure legislation on bigger projects will be really important. There are things that households and communities can do. We have seen the growth, with 33,000 solar grant applications granted last year. We will accelerate that further this year, with about 73,000 retrofits. Plug-in solar is not an extremely new technology but there might have been some concerns with it. However, it is not being dismissed. I can assure the Deputy of that. We have a more detailed response on it in the written parliamentary question the Deputy has submitted. I will keep him directly informed on it. I made changes to the SEAI grants at the start of March in terms of making things more accessible for people to support.”
“Some safety concerns were flagged at official level but Germany and other countries deploy it well. On foot of the question that was tabled in this regard, the team in the Department is looking at this. If we can deploy more solar, then we should.”
“Aontaím leis an Teachta arís. Next week the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I are meeting the EU transport Ministers. We have already taken measures in respect of our supply chains. There has been no direction or unified approach by the European Union, which is regrettable. It is also regrettable that we are still waiting for the details of the toolbox - as it is now referred to - of what the European Union can do on behalf of its citizens. That needs to be done now and I will be reflecting that. On plug-in solar, I know the Deputy has another question. Solar has expanded greatly in Ireland. Already we have 2.4 GW of solar in our system, with over 1 GW of rooftop solar as well that is not grid connected. I am very open to plug-in solar.”
“I do not mind saying that we expected to get them last week, so the EU needs to act as a bloc. We are bringing forward changes in Ireland. We have deployed resources of about €750 million. It is still really difficult for our people but the EU response needs to be immediate in terms of what can be done at an EU-wide level. I have fed into that and I will come back to it.”
“With the Middle East crisis, we do not want to lose sight of the fact - and it know it is not lost on the Deputy, in particular - that, while we are feeling it as an economic crisis and are feeling price shocks, we also have to be very mindful that it is a humanitarian crisis. Thousands of people have been killed in this war, following on from the brutality we saw with Israel's actions, its attack on Gaza and its continued attacks on the West Bank and the whole Middle East. It is a very uncertain situation right now. I attended a virtual meeting of EU energy Ministers on 31 March to discuss an EU-wide response to rising costs caused by the conflict in the Middle East. The European Commission is due to provide additional details on specific proposals.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as a smaointí ar an ábhar an-tábhachtach seo. Aontaím leis go bhfuil sé fíorthábhachtach agus go gcaithfimid athruithe breise a dhéanamh ar son fuinnimh in Éirinn agus fud fad na hEorpa go háirithe. I agree with the Deputy. We need to accelerate the changes we are bringing in given the existing crisis. Ireland has been to the forefront of many of the renewable energy generation initiatives. The past ten years have been good. Last year was particularly good but we need to accelerate this further. If ever there was a reason we need to continue to reduce our dependence on the importation of fossil fuels from other states, it is now.”
“The projections in that regard to the end of the decade are good, while not hitting 80%. In the CAP 2026, for example, on energy, we will see how we can get to 80% without the offshore renewables because the offshore will not be electrified by 2030. The focus there is getting it into construction. On transport, €2 billion of the climate and nature fund, as the Deputy knows, has already been deployed to MetroLink, which would be one of the biggest decarbonising projects from a transport perspective. That is backed with money. I want the CAP 2026 to be a real plan that people understand. It has to be ambitious and has to be backed financially, and I intend that it will be.”
“The reliance or over-reliance in certain areas on fossil fuels and our dependency on imported fossil fuels are a risk and a weakness, and we need to move away from that. I will take two areas. I refer to grid investment and the €18.9 billion. PR6 is critical, and I know Deputy O'Gorman knows that. It is a matter of our taking more renewables into our grid. We are already the number one country in Europe in the integration of renewables into our grid, but it is a matter of our expanding that further and bringing more storage so that we can deploy and dispatch energy at the appropriate times. We have over a gigawatt in storage now. We can now trade in the electricity market, which is a good thing, too. We need to increase our storage and our renewable capacity.”
“I will take a couple of examples of where the commitments are. I agree with the Deputy. The next plan has to question how we can look to bridge the gap. We need to recognise the progress that has been made by our people and by successive Governments in this regard. That is why, looking at our retrofit programme, we have made some very significant changes to the grants to make them more accessible. People are responding to that already, just short of two months since we made those changes. We can do a lot of things to improve our resilience, reduce our energy use and make our homes more climate friendly and healthier. We can also do the same for business. We are looking at a suite of business grant measures to reduce energy use in business. Again, I agree with the Deputy on this.”