Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have no doubt that these are extraordinarily good schemes. I put my hands up and applaud what is being done, but I think there should be greater interaction with and more explanation given to the customers who ring up and ask where their applications are at and what is delaying them. I refer to those customers being told it was going to be six months down the road. Perhaps the Minister of State will convey my next point back to the Minister and the personnel in the Department. I still cannot understand why the SEAI insists that nobody else can do these BER certificates except itself. It is ludicrous because there are plenty of qualified people out there. I checked here in Dublin this morning and there were six or seven groups offering a service where people could phone a number and get a certificate done within four to six weeks. The current requirement has delayed some of these projects by six months, and it is only adding insult to injury. Elderly people deserve better. I know there is probably great demand in this regard but perhaps something could be done to ramp up the delivery of these schemes and ensure that the people out there, mostly elderly, waiting for them get proper attention and satisfaction.