1952. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the €38,000 maximum Departmental funding available per property under the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme in view of construction and retrofit costs; the number of Monaghan County Council properties for which expenditure has exceeded this threshold in 2025 and 2026; the additional cost consequently borne by the council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63775/26]

1956. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if additional funding will be made available to Monaghan County Council under the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme in 2026 in circumstances where the council expects to exceed its allocation of 165 properties; whether funding will be provided for all properties completed above the original allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63774/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1952 and 1956 together.

Circular 09/2026 issued to all local authorities in Q1 2026 and outlined each authority's preliminary allocation under the 2026 Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme, together with the programme criteria and operational requirements.

Monaghan County Council was allocated a target of 165 homes and a budget of €6.27 million under the Programme. The allocation represents a significant increase on the 101 homes allocated to the authority in 2025 and reflects the continued commitment of my Department to support local authorities in delivering energy retrofit works.

Generally, local authority progress is monitored throughout the year and, where a local authority can demonstrate that it is well advanced in delivering its programme of works and has capacity to exceed its original allocation, my Department will work with the authority vis-à-vis identifying works beyond their allocation that might be completed with additional funding. Notably, any such additional funding is contingent on the availability of funding within the total programme budget. The growing ambition and capacity in Monaghan can be seen in almost all local authorities, and there is likely to be significant demand for additional funding nationwide should any become available.

In 2026, the maximum funding available per property was increased to €60,000, provided local authorities maintain a maximum programme average cost of €38,000 per dwelling (up from an average of €34,000 per property in 2025). These funding levels were revised to better reflect the cost of works required to achieve the required BER standard. Furthermore, since the revised programme was introduced in 2021, the average level of funding available per home has increased by 41% and the vat rates on heat pumps and solar panels were significantly reduced by Government. Information on individual project costs and expenditure incurred above programme thresholds may be available from the relevant local authority upon request.