Peter 'Chap' Cleere
Carlow-Kilkenny · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“We can tell a great deal about the strength of a rural community by the services that remain at its heart. If the school is open, the local shop is trading, the GAA club is thriving and the post office is still there, that community has a bright future. That is why this Bill matters.”
“Fianna Fáil has always believed that people should not have to leave rural Ireland to enjoy the same quality of public services as those living elsewhere. Balanced regional development means investing in the infrastructure that allows people to live, work, raise families and grow older in the communities that they love.”
“It recognises the pressures created by declining mail volumes, rising costs and changing consumer habits, while giving An Post the opportunity to continue modernising and developing the network for the future. However, this should not simply be about maintaining what we have.”
“For many older people, those living alone and those who are less comfortable with digital services, the post office remains their most trusted connection with the State and that role should never be underestimated. Rural Ireland has faced enormous changes over recent decades.”
“For people living with Friedreich's ataxia time is something they simply do not have. Every delay means more mobility lost, more speech lost and more independence taken away.”
“Like previous speakers, I raise the issue of teacher losses. I am asking for the intervention of the Tánaiste regarding Our Lady of Lourdes National School in Slieverue, County Kilkenny, where the incoming junior infants class for September 2026 is expected to consist of 34 children taught by a single teacher following the loss of a teach…”
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Every one of 379 lines we hold for Peter 'Chap' Cleere, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 8.
“I welcome the statements. I empathise with the many individuals, men, women, children, families and business owners who have been left absolutely devastated once again by the horrific impact of flooding. My constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny was hit badly again. I thank the local authorities in the area and roads crew in both Carlow and Kilkenny and the fire service for the incredible work that they did. Even up until today, they are still dealing with the fallout and the damage from the floods regarding the roads and the road repairs. It truly was a significant incident that occurred there in past couple of weeks. The Minister of State is 100% behind this, but the Government has to deliver big progress on flood relief schemes and flood warning systems.”
“Luke's is part of the HSE Dublin and South East region, but it currently has no dermatologist, no rheumatologist, no neurologist and no child psychologist, yet they all exist as part of HSE south east. I am looking for a commitment that the Government will engage with the HSE Dublin and South East for a realignment of some of those staff to Kilkenny.”
“I want to raise St. Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny. It is a level 3 hospital with over 1,200 staff and is the seventh biggest medical centre in Ireland serving a catchment area of around 200,000 people. I am looking for an update on the new CT machine, which is vital to support patient flow. A second CT for St. Luke's will result in no downtime and allow specialised tests to be completed on-site reducing the need for patients to be transferred to another hospital, which results in long waiting times for appointments. A strong business case has been put forward and submitted for a new 86-bed accommodation block for the Dolmen wing, including 14 critical care beds, 72 single rooms, a laboratory and a pharmacy. I am looking for a commitment that this wing will be prioritised and delivered as a matter of urgency. St.”
“To be fair to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Taoiseach, the announcement of €300,000 for this element of the quay to be upgraded is fantastic. In south Kilkenny on The Rower, right beside New Ross, which some of our colleagues will know, €1.4 million has been allocated for the upgrade of the ferry bridge, which is disintegrating on a daily basis. I compliment the Taoiseach and the Minister. A huge allocation has been made for roads and there is record funding in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. Earlier the Taoiseach mentioned the contingency funding for roads devastated by flooding. I hope that the significant applications of Carlow and Kilkenny for additional one-off funding, extra to what was announced today, are looked on very favourably.”
“I welcome the announcement today of the national regional roads funding and over €40 million for my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. Some of these projects have been ongoing for quite some time. In particular, I want to pay tribute to the N25 committee in south Kilkenny, a voluntary organisation that has prioritised and highlighted this issue so strongly. Investment of €1 million to allow this scheme to go to the next stage is hugely beneficial for that community, and there is €600,000 for the N24 around the Mooncoin direction, again a hugely worthwhile project. The Callan bypass is to receive over €2.2 million, which is going to be fantastic for that community. In terms of the climate action piece, however, the road at the quay in Thomastown had been fading away, and it was a huge danger and a huge risk.”
“Many of these are local roads with high agricultural volumes but these routes serve as the only route for many rural residents. They are vital for vulnerable residents. They are school bus routes and there are also access requirements for milk lorries and other essential services. Could additional emergency funding be made available separate from the additional funding for roadworks?”
“A huge number of rural roads in Carlow-Kilkenny have been absolutely destroyed in the past couple of weeks due to the torrential rainfall and serious flooding in the area. This has resulted in serious potholes and, in many cases, complete disintegration of road surfaces, making them impassable. In some cases, there are potholes so big you could lose a small child in them. I am asking the Taoiseach and the Government to provide additional once-off emergency funding to those counties which have been so desperately affected by the storm. There are lots of roads that are in brutal condition, some still impassible, and they need complete reconstruction. At the weekend, when driving in places like Drummin, St. Mullins, Spahill, Glynn, Tomduff, Ballyglisheen and Knocksquire, I saw that all of the roads had been seriously damaged.”
“Any help the Taoiseach can give to reverse this decision would be hugely appreciated by the whole school community. Will he meet with the school community, with Kilkenny and Carlow ETB and the principals as a matter of urgency to discuss this specific project and to try to get it to construction stage as soon as possible? If the project is not advanced by July 2027, the planning permission will run out, and €3 million has already been spent to get to this stage. I implore the Taoiseach, if he could, to meet with me and the relevant school authorities. That would be fantastic.”
“Management, staff, students and parents and the whole school community are extremely disappointed and dismayed at the decision last week by the Minister, Deputy Naughton, not to release long-promised funding for the Kilkenny school campus. Both Kilkenny City Vocational School and Coláiste Pobail Osraí are now at capacity. Kilkenny City Vocational School is the only DEIS post-primary school in Kilkenny city and it has an exemplary record. Both schools are non-denominational and co-educational. Coláiste Pobail Osraí is the last remaining Gaeilge post-primary school in Kilkenny city and county. The reality for both schools currently is that their classrooms are not fit for purpose, there are no outdoor recreation facilities, there are no outdoor sport facilities and no PE facilities.”
“However, it is not right that these flood relief schemes have not been progressed at the speed they should have been. There have been people in this Chamber for years and decades who have done nothing about it. I am not going to do nothing. I am going to stand up for these people. Let us make this funding available-----”
“Let us make sure the funding is made available because we cannot let these towns and villages suffer anymore. We need to protect them and look after them. I represent the people of Carlow-Kilkenny and we need to make sure the funding is made available, not next year, not in two years' time-----”
“Mullins where roads are falling away due to the devastation caused by and the impact of the flooding or the rainfall in January.”
“I pay tribute to the staff of Kilkenny and Carlow County Councils in terms of the area staff but also all the road crews and the fire services in both counties for the incredible work they have done over the past number of days making sure our people, our citizens, are safe. However, there is a huge clean-up job to be done as well, so additional funding is going to be required. I am calling the Minister of State to speak with his colleagues and with the powers that be to make sure funding is made available for the clean-up operation and for the deterioration of the road infrastructure that is happening right around the country. I have loads of examples from the past couple of days in the Rower, Graiguenamanagh, Skeaghvasteen, Gowran, Ballyhale, Dungarvan, Borris and St.”
“Not only that but Thomastown was also approved in 2018 and the scheme has not been advanced at all. Why can these schemes not be run concurrently? Why do we have to do Graiguenamanagh and let that get to this stage and all the rest of them are sitting on a shelf waiting to go? Staff are already employed by Kilkenny County Council to progress these schemes. Surely to God, in this day and age, when we are taking about infrastructure, we can make sure that schemes can run concurrently and the ball can start rolling. This has been going on years. I am only in this Chamber a year. This is ten years ago. I saw a photo recently of Graiguenamanagh in 1926 when flooding happened and yet nothing has happened.”
“I appeal to the Minister to please get on to An Coimisiún Pleanála and speed up the process so that people, individuals and businesses in Graiguenamanagh will not have to endure yet again the traumatic circumstances around flooding in that town and village. How can it take ten years for these schemes to go ahead?”
“I raise again the issue of flood relief schemes in my own constituency of Carlow and Kilkenny. My own home town of Graiguenamanagh and Thomastown, Inistioge and various towns and villages around the constituency have once again been devastated by the impacts of flooding. The miraculous or crazy thing here is that we have known about this for so long. In 2018, the Minister of State, Deputy Boxer Moran, announced funding was to be put in place for six towns and villages in Kilkenny. My home town of Graiguenamanagh was flooded in 2016 and that flood relief scheme was promised. It went to design stage in February 2020. It has only gone for planning last December to An Coimisiún Pleanála.”
“We just need a little bit more impetus and drive from the Department to get this project over the line. It is all about delivery and I welcome the feedback and comments of the Minister of State. I also welcome her support and that of the Minister, Deputy Lawless, for this particular project. It is a key infrastructure project for the south east and thousands of children and learners will benefit year after year.”
“Everybody in Carlow and Kilkenny ETB is excited for all of the current and future FET learners in the locality. With one in ten adults in Ireland now learning through FET or apprenticeships, the ongoing development of high-quality college environments is absolutely key, especially in locations such as Kilkenny and the south east. We will play a critical role in meeting the increasing demand for upskilling in our communities. The capital infrastructure announcement for the Kilkenny college of the future is a milestone moment for FET in the south east. It will drive access to education, lifelong learning and workforce transformation in the region. As I have said, we need action and, more importantly, we need to see delivery. I implore the Minister of State to pull out Kilkenny and Carlow ETB as a stand-alone project. We are ready to go.”
“I particularly welcome the last words of the Minister of State on delivery because that is what we want. I really welcome the fact we are getting so close to the appointment of a design team this year for this project. It is not only the staff of Kilkenny and Carlow ETB that will benefit from this. There are 5,000 full-time and part-time students in Kilkenny who can benefit from the service. We are ready to go in Kilkenny. If we need to be put forward as a pilot scheme or an exemplar for other ETBs to follow that is absolutely no problem. Kilkenny and Carlow ETB has experience in managing high-volume capital developments, incorporating almost €90 million in what it has done over the past number of years. There is real-life experience. This has to be done urgently.”
“There will be thousands of students from across the constituency who will get the opportunity to meet potential employers on the trade side. The fact that they can now learn their trade in Carlow and Kilkenny is significant. We have a brilliant facility in Carlow which is state of the art. It is top class. We need the same in Kilkenny and we need it now.”
“As a former chairman of Kilkenny and Carlow ETB for over seven years, it was a priority for us to get a further education and training campus for Kilkenny. When I was chairman of Kilkenny and Carlow ETB, we launched Carlow Institute of Further Education and Training, which has been a tremendous success, with more than 1,000 students. For Kilkenny city and county to be at the stage it is at now marks an important step forward in the delivery of the college campus but we are ready to go. We just need a nod from the Government to appoint consultants to get this project started. This will be transformational for Kilkenny, the south east, and all the staff and students who currently use and potentially will use Kilkenny and Carlow ETB in the future. There is a trade expo tomorrow night in Carlow, run and organised by Kilkenny and Carlow ETB.”
“Everybody should have the opportunity to reach their potential and they should have that opportunity as close to their home as possible. As I said earlier, the project will consolidate existing provision, incorporate new training programmes and specialisms, and develop support services at one location with convenient transport access and services. There is huge excitement in Kilkenny and Carlow ETB. I extend warm congratulations and thanks to the executive team, originally led by Eileen Curtis, and now being brilliantly driven by Dr. Lindsay Malone, and to the current and previous board members for their commitment and support for the project. It will bring enormous benefits for students in the years ahead.”
“I and my colleagues are incredibly excited to see it become a campus that will delivery so much for the learners, staff, and the community of Kilkenny and Carlow ETB. In 2022, the Government announced that Kilkenny had been chosen as one of the locations to develop a further education and training college of the future. It is not ideal at the moment that further education and training provision in Kilkenny has been scattered around 15 different locations in the city. Now provision will be brought together in one modern, high-specification facility, where learners will have the opportunity to progress in the best possible facilities. This is what we mean when we speak about driving parity of esteem across the tertiary sector. It should not matter where people live, what they are studying, or whether they are in FET or university.”
“I raise the issue of the new Kilkenny college of the future. In October 2024, the Department announced the purchase of a stand-alone 15 acre site that would become the new home of the college of the future in Kilkenny. Government funding worth tens of millions of euro will be required to drive the development of the site at Joinersfolly, south of Kilkenny city. This site will create a new state-of-the-art education and training campus for Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board and, more importantly, consolidate the delivery of skills provision for the county. It is really positive news that we have our own site but we need this project to move on to the next stage as a matter of urgency. The purchase of the 15-acre site was hugely important for the region.”
“Irish Water has been adequately funded over the next number of years with record investment but we need to see more and we need to see delivery now. Housing is the number one social issue and crisis facing the country. Enabling infrastructure such as water will enable us to get more houses built quicker and evenly across the country. We will get a lot more done. While it is so important that we get that increased and record-level investment, delivery is key. That is where the big challenge is. Those in Uisce Éireann need to make sure they are going to deliver these projects on time and with a sense of urgency, which has been lacking up to this particular point.”
“We have 14 wastewater treatment plants that need to be upgraded at the moment, in Kilmanagh, Glenmore, Freshford, Dungarvan, Ballyhale, Kells, Fiddown, Piltown, Paulstown, Graiguenamanagh, Bennettsbridge and Windgap, to name but a few. We have a situation in Bennettsbridge right now where they have been waiting years for an upgrade. They have been approved but the works will not be completed until 2030. It is not good enough and it is not acceptable. We have a situation in Inistioge, a village right beside me, where raw sewage is entering the River Nore and nothing has been done about it. In Mullinavat in south Kilkenny the treatment plant is at full capacity. It urgently needs to be upgraded to allow housing and commercial interests to thrive in the area.”
“By enabling developers to collaborate with Uisce Éireann on low-volume wastewater systems, the Government is providing a much needed solution that will accelerate housing delivery in areas that are currently stifled by infrastructure bottlenecks. It will help to alleviate some of the pressure on our smaller towns and villages where housing demand has far outpaced the availability of wastewater treatment options. However, this does not mean that Uisce Éireann is off the hook. For instance, in communities where water infrastructure has reached its limit, new housing development stalls, forcing locals to relocate. It creates ripple effects on our schools, shops and GAA clubs as families move and demographics shift. There are so many issues in my constituency that need to be resolved.”
“Continuing to grow investment in water service infrastructure is absolutely essential to keep up with and adapt to change and to ensure Ireland meets its economic, social and environmental obligations. I am passionate about rural Ireland. I come from a small place called Skeoughvosteen in the parish of Graiguenamanagh on the Kilkenny-Carlow border. In particular, I want to welcome the new initiative that will allow private sector involvement in developing wastewater systems for smaller housing developments of up to 40 homes. This initiative is a crucial step towards addressing the infrastructure deficit in rural areas, particularly in Carlow-Kilkenny, where housing development has long been restricted by a lack of adequate wastewater facilities.”
“I trust in the Minister of State that when this Bill is brought through, it will make a difference to families right across the county, but in particular in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny and my constituents who I represent on a daily basis. I appreciate him taking a couple of individual cases on board. I am going to finish up now because myself and Deputy O'Meara have a Pilates class at 6.30 p.m. and we need to get to it. We are meeting the Social Democrats afterwards.”
“If we could join it up with some sort of ETB or education training course - a level 5 or level 6 course - that would be really helpful. We also have to consider the emotional and psychological challenges for families and care givers alike with the stress, pressure and anxiety these families are under. By the time they come to me they are on their knees. They are nearly begging. These people are going to the wall themselves but they need that bit of hope and support. The right to be in your own home is huge. That is really important. Addressing the challenges in home care and home help packages is not just about improving services but it is about enhancing quality of life for our elderly and for our vulnerable populations. Together we can work towards a future where everyone has access to compassionate and reliable home care.”
“Something might need to be done on the education side of things such as making sure there is more access to home care packages qualifications but it is a huge issue in rural Ireland. I am from a place called Skeaghvasteen in County Kilkenny. There might be somebody in Kilkenny city but to drive from Kilkenny city to Skeaghvasteen for a half hour or an hour will not pay them in terms of paying for diesel. It is a huge issue, and it needs to be addressed. The lack of standardisation across services can also be problematic. If you have different agencies providing home care, there is inconsistency in training and quality of service but I think this Bill will really help. I really welcome this element of the Bill where you get that consistency.”
“I will speak to the Minister of State specifically about it offline. It is these sorts of incidences. It is approved. The will is there but the specific person is not there. I appreciate that the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, will take that on for me because I have another case as well of a lady in her early 40s who due to her medical condition is unfortunately wheelchair bound. When this lady left hospital they could not get anyone to cover the hours, so she ended up going into the local nursing home. She was in the nursing for six weeks all the while her hours were approved. Huge work was done by the HSE and the providers but they simply were not there.”
“They have the hours approved and are delighted to have them approved but the workforce is not there to meet the demand. In rural Ireland in particular, this is a huge issue. I spoke with a woman recently. I will not give her exact details but she is almost 100 years of age. She was in hospital before Christmas but is back out. She has been approved for three visits per day, one hour each, for 21 visits over the course of a week. They cannot get anybody to service it.”
“However, with this demand come significant challenges we must address. First and foremost, funding and resources are major concerns. Many home care providers struggle to secure adequate funding to meet the needs of their clients. Current Government supports often fall short, leaving both care workers and recipients in precarious situations. Many families are forced to pick up the financial burden, which can lead to stress and anxiety. For me, the biggest challenge is the workforce shortage. Recruiting and retaining qualified home care givers is becoming increasingly difficult. In my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, the HSE is at full capacity in terms of what it can do on the home care side of things. It outsources to different providers but still every single week I have somebody in touch with me who has challenges.”
“I am delighted to get the opportunity to speak on the home support providers Bill. The Government is committed to supporting people to stay in their homes as long as possible. It is something I feel passionately about, and the Government feels passionately about. The State currently invests heavily in the provision of home support through the HSE. Home support is provided by the HSE and then indirectly through national contractual arrangements with private home support providers and not-for-profit organisations. Huge funding has gone into this area over the past number of years but there is still a huge amount of work to be done. As our population ages and more individuals prefer to stay in their homes for as long as possible, the demand for quality home care increases.”
“We have to be encouraging people to use public transport, incentivising them rather than punishing them and making it unattractive. We have to ensure the public infrastructure is there. People in Carlow-Kilkenny should not be punished with additional costs and lack of facilities just because we live outside the M50.”
“I want to raise the issue of rural transport, in particular the car parking situation at Bagenalstown train station. The train service there is excellent but the car park is consistently full, leaving commuters having to park in the town, clogging up much-needed space for local businesses and shoppers. I also firmly believe that the car parking charges at the train station should be abolished. The Government is doing its best in trying to encourage people to use public transport but these charges are a deterrent as they are an additional cost. Carlow-Kilkenny is now part of the commuter belt. I ask the Taoiseach to discuss the issue with the necessary bodies to make sure funding is make available for additional car parking facilities and to abolish car parking charges for Bagenalstown train station and indeed all rural train stations.”
“People in rural areas do not feel like it is a fair charge because if they are building in a rural area, they do not get public lights or footpaths and the money that is paid is not specifically ring-fenced for a particular area. I am asking the Taoiseach, given that we are in a housing crisis, to consider the reintroduction of the development levy waiver for one-off homes in rural areas. This will facilitate young people who are starting out their journey of home ownership and trying to self-build. They could do it without the extra burden of costs.”
“I was born and reared in, and am proud to come from and represent, a rural constituency. I have a major concern regarding couples or individuals who are building one-off homes in rural areas. They are ending up having to pay significant development contributions to local authorities, on average well in excess of €5,000. The development levy waiver introduced by the previous Government was a super initiative. It helped to bolster housing supply and ensure a big pipeline of housing deliver. We saw some of the largest commencement numbers ever last year, with more than 60,000 homes commenced, about 10% of which were first-time, one-off homes.”
“I implore the Minister to continue to invest in that particular scheme because it makes a massive difference to families right across the constituency.”
“They are designed to support older people and those who live with disabilities to live safely and comfortably in their own homes. Whatever their needs may be, the Government has to be committed to providing meaningful assistance. These schemes have been, and continue to be, a great success. We have to ensure our older people and disabled people can live and stay in their homes as long as possible. I acknowledge the significant increase in funding from the Minister. It was €75 million two years ago, €100 million last year and it has now been increased to €130 million, so credit where credit is due. That will make a huge difference to families across Carlow and Kilkenny, including in Ballyhale, Gowran and Ballyragget, and in Dungarvan, all those towns I represent.”
“They cannot grow because the wastewater infrastructure is not there. I acknowledge and welcome the Minister's recent announcement whereby from January up to 40 houses can be developed in a local area. It will potentially give a lifeline and create a ripple effect in schools, shops and GAA clubs across Carlow and Kilkenny. Now that we have a record level of investment, what is so important is that delivery is there. This is key. The big challenge is that Uisce Éireann has to be able to do this on time and with a sense of urgency. My one ask of the Minister is that he puts a rocket up Uisce Éireann and gets it going. What is happening at the moment is not acceptable. I want to raise housing adaptation grants and housing for older people.”
“The programme for Government commits to investing additional capital in Uisce Éireann to support reaching housing targets. We are going to prioritise water and wastewater infrastructure to deliver the capacity to facilitate housing development in our towns and villages. I welcome the recent investment of over €12.2 billion in Irish Water but we need delivery on it. At the moment the respect shown to me and other Oireachtas Members by Irish Water in their engagement is absolutely disgraceful. If I asked somebody to do something or come back to me, I would not expect an answer in a minute but when we are waiting two, three, four or five weeks for a reply it is disrespectful at best. If we are funding it with this level of money, that needs to stop. Towns and villages in counties Carlow and Kilkenny that I represent are hamstrung.”
“The last thing they want is to face into another winter of excessive costs when they are ready to go with their retrofitting. We all know the funding is there. With the funding that is available, I implore the Minister to make it a priority to fast-track the speed with which applications are brought through the system.”
“Given that there are many vulnerable customers out there, it is important to acknowledge that extra consumer protection measures are in place for registered vulnerable customers, including priority reconnection after outages. A disconnection moratorium for reasons of non-payment of account for registered vulnerable customers will remain in place from 1 November 2025 to 31 March 2026. I acknowledge the significant investment the Government is making through the warmer homes scheme and the SEAI. It is making an impact in terms of the funding being available, but I cannot harp on enough about the need for speed in getting these cases over the line. There are thousands of families waiting ten, 12, 15, 18 or 24 months in some instances and it is not good enough.”
“That is to be acknowledged because that money is going to help vulnerable people right across the country and in particular in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. It is an additional €140 during the annual fuel allowance season. That has to be welcomed, along with the reduction of VAT on electricity and gas to 9%, which has been extended until 31 December 2030. This measure will help to reduce household energy costs by up to €100 per annum for the next five years. For those aged under 66, the means limit on the fuel allowance is linked to the rate of the State contributory pension plus €200. It therefore increases automatically if there is an increase in the rate of the State contributory pension.”
“Continued support is also provided for the home energy upgrade loan scheme, which provides low cost-retrofit loans with interest rates available from 3%. What I can say is that the hundreds of families in Carlow and Kilkenny I have spoken to, who got their properties retrofitted, could not speak highly enough of the scheme once the work was completed and the savings to them and their families have been fantastic. However, once again I have to really make this the biggest point here. It is too slow. The finance is there but the speed of delivery is too slow and it has to be tackled with a bit of purpose. I also acknowledge what previous speakers said in relation to the fuel allowance. The payment will increase by €5 from €33 to €38 per week from January 2026.”
“It has to be speeded up to give long-needed solace to these vulnerable families around Carlow and Kilkenny. I acknowledge that the average cost of an upgrade in 2015 was €2,600 and that the average cost has increased significantly. This year the average cost of a deep retrofit upgrade is €29,000. Huge work has been done on the funding side of things but the speed is an issue that has to be addressed as soon as possible. Record funding of €558 million is allocated for SEAI, residential and community energy upgrade schemes next year. This is an increase of €89 million on the budget 2025 allocation, which is to be welcomed. The funding is expected to be supplemented by additional funding, such as an allocation from the ERDF, which will provide for an increase in the allocation for the warmer homes scheme.”
“I welcome these statements on this very important topic. Addressing energy affordability is a priority. It is time to focus on long-term affordability and ensure that every household across the country can access secure affordable and clean energy. I want to talk in particular about retrofitting. A deep retrofit can save a household approximately €1,100 per year in energy costs, which is a significant saving. In 2025, €280 million was allocated to the warmer homes scheme, which provides free retrofits to households in energy poverty. In 2024, this scheme facilitated nearly 8,000 energy upgrades in low-income households. Some 257 of these were in Carlow and 304 in Kilkenny but it is too slow. The average waiting time is 20 months, which is ridiculous.”
“I am happy to stand with and I fully support communities around the country and in particular, those I have mentioned in my own constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, who want renewable energy done but want it done fairly and want it done right.”