Donegal TD Thomas Pringle has pressed the Government to address issues with an SEAI grant scheme to ensure that the most vulnerable people won’t lose out.
It has emerged that homeowners who qualified for Enhanced Home Energy Upgrade loans before the SEAI grant announcement for defective block homeowners will not be able to carry over eligibility for these enhanced schemes.
“This of course targets the most vulnerable and socio-economically deprived in County Donegal,” Independent TD Thomas Pringle told the Dáil today.
“As an example, the dry lining grant aid will be halved under this scenario, and external insulation by almost 50%.
“Many other headings will see homeowners reduced by 20% to 30% on average. It’s affecting those on: Working Family Payment, One-Parent Family Payment, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Carers Allowance, Disability Allowance.”
Deputy Pringle told Tánaiste Michael Martin that the issues are “an own goal”.
Addressing the Tánaiste, Deputy Pringle said: “Once again your government has stumbled blindly into yet another defective blocks fiasco of your own making.”
Deputy Pringle asked: “Will you speak to your ministers and make sure it’s changed and made more responsive?”
In his response, the Tánaiste, Micheál Martin, said he will talk to the minister and ask the minister to engage with Deputy Pringle.
