Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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44. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the impacts of Covid-19 on energy poverty and lack of access to working-from-home communications infrastructure are being evaluated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1391/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Government’s Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty, published in 2016, sets out a number of actions to alleviate the burden of energy poverty on the most vulnerable in society.  Research undertaken by the ESRI shows that the proportion of households in or at risk of energy poverty has reduced from 28% to 17.4% over the lifetime of the strategy.  Research also shows that the proportion of people who report that they are unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm, has fallen from 9% in 2015 to 4.4% in 2019.     Improving the energy efficiency of a home can protect households from energy poverty. Budget 2021 provided €221.5 million in capital funding for SEAI residential and community retrofit programmes. This represents an 82% increase on the 2020 allocation and is the largest amount ever for the schemes.  Of this amount, €109 million is allocated to provide free upgrades for lower income households.

Working from home may result in increased bills for some households. Employers can pay their employees up to €3.20 per day to cover the additional costs of working from home. If employers do not make this payment employees can claim for allowable costs.

Protections are also in place for those falling into difficulty with their energy bills.  This includes a moratorium on all disconnections of domestic customers that took effect on 8 January, 2021 and will remain in place for the duration of current Level 5 restrictions.

More generally income supports including the Fuel Allowance and the Household Benefits Package are available from the Department of Social Protection to help households with the costs of heating their homes.

In relation to access to working-from-home communications infrastructure the National Broadband Plan will ensure that a future proofed high speed broadband network will be built to serve premises located in the Intervention Areas. Work to deliver on this is underway. The deployment plan forecasts premises passed in all counties within the first 2 years and over 90% of premises in the State having access to high speed broadband within the next four years

I am advised by National Broadband Ireland that, as of 21 December 2020, over 153,000 premises across all counties have been surveyed. This survey work is feeding into detailed designs for each deployment area and the first fibre to the home connections are connected and in a test and trial phase in Carrigaline, Co Cork.

Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are providing high speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll out of the fibre to the home network. As of 21 December 2020, 241 sites have been installed by NBI.