Wexford construction workers to benefit from Fianna Fáil’s Retrofit Plan – Connick

Fianna Fáil’s focus on Green Enterprise will provide significant opportunities for job creation according to Wexford Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State, Seán Connick. 

“Fianna Fáil has credible plans that will ensure that as many jobs as possible will be created to help those who are unemployed get work.”

 “Under our Recovery Plan, we will use monies from the national pension reserve fund for projects such as retrofitting.  Fianna Fáil will proceed with the new National Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme.  This innovative idea will boost energy efficiency and has huge employment potential. It will enable energy efficiency improvements in thousands of homes nationwide, while also supporting 5,000 jobs and conferring significant comfort, health and environmental benefits.”

“Between April 2009 when the Scheme commenced and September 2010 the number of people that have availed of the Home Energy Savings (HES) Scheme through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) was in excess of 1,000 per week.”

“However there are over 2,500 contacts per week to SEAI relating to energy upgrade schemes which shows that a substantial amount of people are not avail of this scheme indicating real potential for growth.”

“There are in the region of 900,000 homes (over 50% of entire housing stock) that were built prior to 1990 when the Building Control Act, the precursor to our current building regulation was introduced.”

“At the current rate of 50,000 homes per annum under the HES scheme, it will take in the region of twenty years to upgrade this level of housing stock so it is evident that the rate of retrofitting must increase.”

“By establishing a multi-annual support programme for retrofitting of homes, Fianna Fáil is creating a new sector to employ many who have lost their jobs in construction. I am confident that many Wexford construction workers and firms could benefit from our Plan,” concluded Minister Connick.

ENDS