Éamon Ó Cuív presses for higher island retrofit grants
Éamon Ó Cuív questioned the minister about grant supports for retrofitting and warmer home schemes on the islands, arguing islanders face higher costs and should have higher maximum expenditure ceilings and lower contractor turnover thresholds. He pressed for measures that would allow island contractors to do the work and for island communities to become models of carbon-neutral living.
Grants history and government response
The minister recalled earlier higher-rate grants for islands and said they delivered measurable results, citing some 300 home energy upgrades under the community energy grant scheme, 29 Better Energy Homes applications and 37 Warmer Homes supports since 2014. The minister noted new grant levels introduced two weeks ago of 50% up to 80% and reminded that certain recipients - those on fuel allowance, disability allowance or other allowances - can access 100% grants for many island homes.
Concerns about extra island costs
Éamon Ó Cuív highlighted the significantly higher costs of bringing goods and labour to islands, pointing to cargo fees and transshipment from harbours as extra expenses that make mainland ceilings unequally applied. He described islanders as innovative and enthusiastic about reducing the carbon footprint and urged that island projects be supported and expanded as demonstrator micro-models of carbon-neutral societies.
Requests on ceilings and contractor turnover thresholds
The deputy framed three specific issues: maintaining higher grant rates for islands, increasing the maximum eligible costs because island work is more expensive (referencing existing ceilings such as 50,000 and 2,000), and lowering the contractor turnover threshold so island-based firms - which are unlikely to have a €1 million turnover - can qualify. He asked the minister to address the ceilings and turnover rules.
Minister’s position and next steps
The minister said the earlier higher grants had achieved their aims and that the new 50%-80% grant framework, plus existing 100% provisions for eligible households, should overcome cost impediments. The minister agreed to meet the delegation from the islands and to examine the turnover threshold, while warning against creating an overly complex, separate bureaucratic grant system. Both sides signalled willingness to discuss practical adjustments and to learn from island initiatives.
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Minister, you might remember previously when you were Minister and there were grants for retrofitting on the islands and for warmer home grants and so on. There was a higher rate of grant aid on the islands. My question to you is, are you going through the same process now, higher ceilings for the maximum expenditure and also lower threshold for island contractors who wouldn't have a million euro turnover so that we do get not only work done on the islands but that a lot of the island work would be done by islanders which would have a double effect because you know yourself that the islanders are very, very keen on reducing the carbon footprint and are very creative in doing so. You're right, Deputy, and I remember your role in that and the recognition for a number of reasons why we did favour the islands. Firstly, they were very demonstrable, a certain geographic area you can show and measure the likes of the likes of English more in the Iron Islands have been hugely progressive in showing leadership in terms of how communities can come together. Second reason is because for the issue of energy security, shipping fossil fuels, gas, oil, coal, any other fossil fuels out to an island is inherently expensive and brings risks with it. So yes, we did provide those higher grants. It did deliver. There were some 300 home energy upgrades that have been supported on the island since 2014 on the community energy grant scheme and 29 applications in the same time for the better energy homes and 37 on the warmer homes. So it has worked. I believe that we've moved to a different phase. And I believe that the new grant levels which we introduced two weeks ago, 50% and up to 80% grants are actually the sort of grant levels that will make the case in the islands are on shore that when you get to that level of grant facility or facilities, it does overcome the cost impediments and the economic case is there. And also the experience in the islands of having done it, having built up the ability, the skills, the examples in the past, that was what those initial doubled higher grants were put in place to deliver. I believe they have delivered that. I don't believe it appropriate to extend them. I think the current grant system, the new grant system that we're introducing is sufficient and is the right measure. Today I'm very disappointed with the reply. And it seems to fail to recognise that getting any goods and often labour onto the islands is way more expensive than trying to do the equivalent on the mainland. And for example, if you bring cargo to the mainland, you have to pay the cargo fee, you're actually paying that on the cargo fee. And they're all extra costs. Then you have to transship it from the harbour to wherever on the island it's going. Minister, can I ask you to meet a delegation from Coalila and the Hayran who are very anxious to outline to you why your policy is actually not treating all the people of not only the island of Ireland but the territorial islands in an equal way because of very, very different costs. And as you said, the islanders have been very, very innovative in what they've been doing. There's been huge success. But why not build on this success and make them models, micro models of the absolutely carbon neutral societies that we could then bring people to, not only Irish people but worldwide people to, to show how a carbon neutral society actually works. I'm happy to meet the organisation you mentioned and to discuss this issue but I would also like if we do, to broaden it out because I think there's a lot we can learn from islands. The sort of island skills you mentioned, that ability to be innovative and flexible and do a variety of different tasks of the community coming together is something that we can, if we want to protect, we want to enhance and we want to deploy on the mainland as well as it exists on the island. But I keep coming back to, I suppose, I don't give false hope in going into such a meeting because when you get up to grant levels of 50 and 80% and indeed Warmer Homes and other projects, it is 100% grant. So the full cost is covered and that will still apply to a lot of housing in the island. Anyone in Ireland who's in receipt of fuel allowance, disability allowance or other allowances will be able to get that 100% grant. So I don't think it's necessary for us to make the leap we need to make to have a separate grant system for the islands but I do agree with you that they have particular circumstances that I'm keen to support in whatever other ways I can. Well, actually a lot of people in Ireland are not in receipt of fuel because they actually have incomes and this is something we have been working hard on to create over the years. But there are huge extra costs in living in an island. Minister, there are three parts to the question. One is the higher rate of grants. The second one is the maximum cost allowed because it is more expensive to do things on islands than to do it on the mainland. And therefore the ceilings you have of 50,000 and 2,000 and so on, they should be higher on the islands. And the second issue is the turnover of the contractors because there is no way will you get an island-based contractor whose main focus is on energy work on islands with a turnover of a million euro per year. So, Minister, will you address the second two questions? I would be very interested and I welcome your agreement to meet with the islanders. They have sent a letter to you. I hope that that could happen in the next few weeks because, as you know, they are probably the greatest enthusiasts in the country for making their islands carbon neutral and making their part of the world carbon neutral. I will look at that threshold for turnover. Although, as I said, what I don't want to do is create such a complex bureaucratic system that you have a separate issue. But if that is an issue, we will look at that. But there is a variety of issues here when it comes to higher cost. Obviously, the cargo ferry cost is one of the most significant. Our department, in a whole variety of ways, is keen and is supporting the islands, particularly in terms of management of those ferries and the contract arrangements around it. No, but we government support it. Can I say the grant levels? Again, the basic key grant would be something like a heat pump. In that instance, the grant will stay fixed. The overall building costs may change, but I think it is appropriate for us to go to this mechanism where it is a set level. So people are certain we don't want to create a completely different separate system for the islands, which might end up adding expense. But I will come back to you and the islands organisation to look to see what can be done outside a separate grant system. Question 85 is
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