There is a commitment within the Government to holding a citizens' assembly on drugs. I absolutely support that and it is one on which we should ask the Minister for Health to update this House in regard to when it will be convened.

I welcome the commitment of €8 billion to retrofit homes. It will allow people who own their own homes, or who own and operate public buildings and community facilities, to make those buildings warmer, more affordable and healthier, and allow us all to reduce our climate footprint. It is important those homeowners be supported through the one-stop shop. State-backed, low-interest loans will help bridge whatever gap may be left to allow people to undertake the works. There is a doubling of investment in the retrofitting of homes of people who are experiencing fuel poverty in order that those who are most acutely impacted by rising fuel prices will be directly supported.

None of us likes paying taxes but most of us accept there is a climate crisis. A total of 25% of our carbon comes from the built residential housing stock. This programme will help people reduce their costs, make their homes warmer, live healthier lives and take a bit of climate action. It is to be welcomed and supported and I encourage everybody to apply for it and take advantage of it.

I welcome the package that was announced by the Government to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes with lower energy bills. The measures address barriers to undertaking retrofits that have been reported by homeowners and those in the industry and reflect the step change in pace and scale that will be needed to achieve our target of 500,000 energy upgrades. The cost of these supports will be in the region of €8 billion of a commitment from the Government, from €267 million this year up to €2 billion in 2030. While I welcome the announcement, we need to ensure the programme will be rolled out quickly in the coming months. We must ensure everybody will be able to avail of the grants and, therefore, we must guarantee the immediate availability of low-interest loans.

In respect of our most vulnerable citizens, while I welcome the announcement that people on low incomes will be able to avail of these schemes free of charge, we need to see a major investment in the warmer homes scheme, which is targeted at households in fuel poverty. As I said recently in this Chamber, the average waiting time throughout the country for warmer homes scheme applications stands at approximately 26 months. In my county, 56 homeowners are awaiting works through the warmer homes scheme, while the average wait time in the county for applications allocated to contractors is currently 22 months. The retrofit scheme must seek to clear the backlog in the warmer homes scheme, given many of these people live in older homes that, in most cases, have no insulation.

On the RTB, which was mentioned, I fully agree we need a full overhaul of the board. It has no teeth or power and is not properly resourced. I will soon table a Commencement matter on the subject. The RTB should support not only renters but also landlords, given the vast majority of landlords own only one property. They are needed in order to make houses available for rent, so they too have to be protected.

I agree with my colleague, Senator Carrigy, regarding the backlog in the warmer homes scheme. It is important we deal with that issue.

Like other Senators, I welcome the retrofitting programme. While there will be snags, there is nothing that cannot be worked out. The one-stop shop idea is fantastic because it will bring the programme to the people, who can visit the shop to discuss their circumstances in the context of retrofitting. Of course, the fact people can break up the retrofit, begin with one part of their home and spend less money will suit many people. A key aspect of the scheme's success will relate to low-cost money. We need loans to be made available at a low cost. I understand that is something the Government is working on and it will be needed to help people with the finances. This is a good news story and whatever issues, snags or questions people have will be addressed by the one-stop shops, which will be very helpful to people.

I have raised the next issue previously, but this time it relates to an unfortunate incident that happened in the Acting Leader's county. I refer to the outrageous attacks on older people, one of which happened in Celbridge last night. Not only are these people being robbed but they are being hurt and injured. All of us - the Minister for Justice and every one of us as legislators - have to deal with these perpetrators. What is happening to older people is utterly cruel. Not only are they frightened but they are being harmed in their homes. I am not being alarmist but they are happening all too frequently. Ours is quite a safe country but our people being attacked in their homes like this cannot be allowed to continue. I am sure everyone agrees it must be stamped out. The provision of free legal aid needs to be reconsidered, as do the sentencing laws. I hope we will deal with the issue as quickly as possible.