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458. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions his Department will take to push local authorities including Dublin City Council to employ a full-time accessibility officer who would be responsible for assessing the requirements of people with disabilities when planning infrastructure including local housing developments, cycleways, and so on. […

163. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if houses older than 1940 can be considered under the warmer homes scheme; and if not, what the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland recommends for the property owners; and the number of houses that have been deemed ineligible due to being older than 1940. [8728/25]

271. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will release the necessary funding to local authorities in Donegal and other affected counties to remediate their housing stock that are the homes of hundreds of families affected by defective concrete blocks. [8705/25]

279. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will introduce a scheme of affordable housing and low-cost sites for towns and villages with a population of less than 5,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8847/25]

283. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of houses in County Meath now being considered for inclusion in the defective concrete blocks grant scheme; when a decision on these will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8872/25]

288. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will address an issue for social housing applicants (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8911/25]

175. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of void houses in each local authority area for the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8251/25]

176. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider the urgent establishment of a taskforce for Clonmel town centre (details supplied) to deal with the extensive levels of vacancy and dereliction facing the town; if he will work with the Minister for Justice and Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to establish such a taskforc…

181. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will establish an independent investigation into the trading of 44 homes for profit in Cork in view of the fact that they were grant aided under section 20 of the Housing (Amendment) Act 1948 on the condition that they would not be sold (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [83…

184. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the plans in relation to the recommendations of the Housing Commission report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8418/25]

496. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason a fully completed apartment complex is lying vacant for the past six months on the corner of Grange Road and Nutgrove Avenue, Rathfarnham; and if this development was included in his Department’s figures for housing completions in 2024, notwithstanding the fact that it remains vacant. [7262/25]

499. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are any active plans to build social and affordable housing units on State lands in Louth by the Land Development Agency. [7301/25]

500. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there has been a directive from the Department to local authorities to limit the number of approved housing body units that can be delivered in a local authority area. [7303/25]

501. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the work that has been done in cooperation with the Department of Health with regard to the forward planning for future young adults who have a disability who will have a housing need. [7304/25]

502. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing units have been delivered specifically for people with intellectual disabilities over the years 2020 – 2024, per local authority area, in tabular form. [7305/25]

507. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of sites zoned for housing in each county by the local authorities, in tabular form. [7373/25]

511. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason solar panels were not installed on any of the new housing at a location (details supplied); if there are any plans for new builds to be required to have a minimum number of solar panels in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7449/25]

520. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions that will be taken by Government and local authorities to ensure the housing completion targets of 41,000 by the end of 2026 and up to 60,000 per year by 2029 and 2030 will be reached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7643/25]

525. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the work and remit of the central housing supply unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7648/25]

527. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason most of the projects approved under the local infrastructure housing activation fund have not been delivered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7650/25]

528. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason for the delay in the completion of projects under the local authority mortgages and that local infrastructure housing activation fund as evidenced by only 15 of 24 projects being completed since 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7651/25]

533. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will list the 3,000 social and affordable homes to be delivered through the €450 million capital allocation approved by Cabinet on 18 February 2025, broken down by the number of units in each local authority area and the social housing landlord associated with each scheme that is, named AHB or the relevant…

534. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the proposed allocations schemes for cost rental housing including an update on whether any regulations have been issued by him and any scheme specific cost rental allocations schemes approved; and if so, where and for which category of worker/tenant. [7711/25]

535. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a list of all submissions received by his Department during the review of Part B of the Building Control Regulations and to publish the submissions on the Department's website or to provide copies of the submissions to the incoming members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and He…

536. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to people with a disability who receive the HAP service, the rationale for setting the allowance at 20% below the poverty rate, with a further deduction taken as a fair pay your way contribution to the housing system; and whether the Minister has any plans to change the 20% rate." [7719/25]

I thank Aontú for tabling this motion which important for the whole country. This has been a hobby horse of mine since I came into the Dáil in 2016 because I saw, in my short two years in the council, the damage in my constituency mainly caused by blocked rivers. I genuinely want to have this addressed. What is blocking people from going in, perhaps putting in an application for a river to be clea…

The ways by which successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil governments have handled flooding over the past ten years is an example of gross incompetence. In March 2025, I put a parliamentary question to the Minister for housing - it is a shame he has left the Chamber; he has abandoned ship on this issue - asking about the national flood forecasting and warning service. I asked, in particular, why this…

I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of this motion. In fairness, money is not a problem but trying to get it done is a problem. The Minister of State, Deputy Moran, and I have been involved with Lough Funshinagh for a number of years. I have seen previous Ministers. What had to be done in Lough Funshinagh was a temporary measure to allow the water to be pumped away. Does the Minister of …

First, I acknowledge the presence of our good friend, H.E. Dennis King from Canada, and articulate our deepest sympathies to the people of Tumbler Ridge and to Canada more generally on the appalling murder of nine innocent victims yesterday. Our hearts, prayers and thoughts are with the entire community. I also appreciate and welcome the attendance in the Public Gallery of people from Donegal in …

Today, the Government is using the guillotine to ram through legislation that will have one overriding result, that is, allowing record rents rip even further. Once this legislation goes through, it will mean monthly rents for new tenancies being reset to market rates. People watching at home might not know what that means because the phrase "market rate" does not capture what is really going on h…

-----and make assertions about the bona fides of people on this side of the House, which I think are unworthy. Everybody in this House wants to resolve the housing crisis. We have a clear view that it has to be a combination of public and private sector investment.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce Bill entitled an Act to enable the Minister for Education and Youth, by regulations, to make provision for promoting participation by a greater number of school staff in approved courses of training in first aid for medical emergencies, for a greater number of schools to be listed as organisations whose staff are authorised to administer certain prescrip…

I will say a few brief words. I am back, a Cheann Comhairle, from a lengthy sojourn in the Seanad, which I have to say was interesting and productive. I think I was in the Seanad for over 28 hours on Committee and Report Stages but it was a worthwhile engagement. As a result of the contributions from Senators in the House, I am coming here with five amendments to the legislation. Amendments Nos. …

This Bill is a mirage because of what the Minister is talking about regarding security of tenure. There are things in the Bill about security of tenure that I would welcome were they in isolation, but we have a situation where the Government has a policy outcome whereby it has drafted a Bill that is so complicated and convoluted. It has made a policy decision that is essentially pulling in two sep…

That means driving the supply of homes in this country. We have delivered more social homes in 2024 than in any year since the 1970s. We have delivered record affordable homes and last year we delivered over 36,000 new homes, the highest since 2011. We have to drive the supply and that needs investment. The Government is investing the largest amount of money in the history of the State into housin…

The Minister of State knows that the only investors who are interested in these kinds of rents are those - the Minister of State was not here earlier so I will repeat it for his benefit - who might invest in the docklands area of Cork and in very high-end, high-cost parts of Dublin. The Minister and the Minister of State are going to ask their constituents to pay somewhere in the region of an extr…

The Housing Commission recognised we could not continue with what we were doing. The Housing Agency investigated and recognised that we had some of the most restrictive rent controls in the world, which was killing supply of the homes that we need right across the country. The Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, said we had to move. We have to give people hope and we have to drive housin…

As soon as I read the Bill, I knew straight away, going by the data, that students would be badly affected by this. The Bill will have profound and deeply damaging consequences for students and we must call this for what it is: another failure of this Government's broken housing policy. Students are at the very heart of this housing crisis. Young people trying to make their lives better are having…

With all due respect, I did not interrupt the Deputy. Nobody here has a monopoly on compassion when it comes to the difficulties and challenges being faced by individuals and families regarding the shortage of housing supply, whether social, affordable or rental. At my constituency offices in Waterford city and Dungarvan, I deal with constituents in the exact same way as do other Deputies. The Min…

No, it does not. I want to make it clear that the short-term letting Bill will be brought to the House by the Minister, Deputy Burke. We had a meeting of the housing committee yesterday. We dealt with it. The issue in terms of variation is a matter of law as we stand, and that is anywhere, not just in the context of short-term lets. For any premises, permission has to be obtained for a variation o…

Here is what we actually did. The Governments I have been part of, first, introduced a higher rate of stamp duty. Second, the Government I led when I was Taoiseach and wrote that letter increased that rate of stamp duty from 10% to 15%. Each year, as a result of taking those measures, the number of homes being acquired has fallen. It fell in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, and it is expected to fall in…

4. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to outline the way in which he is supporting Údarás na Gealtachta to address an ghéarchéim tithíochta sna ceantair Ghaeltachta; and whether he intends to use his powers as Minister for the Gaeltacht, under section 9(a) of the Housing (Gaeltacht) (Amendment) Act 2001, to devise and implement housing schem…

I do agree and I thank the Deputy for raising it. I will certainly undertake to engage with the Minister for housing, primarily, and the Minister for Health on this and revert to the Deputy directly. While I am on my feet, I also want to say the Deputy raised an issue with me before in the House in relation to victims and survivors of domestic abuse, when they are moving from one local authority l…

I join Deputy Ward in offering condolences following the recent incident in Dublin. I would also like to stress to the public not to be sharing incidents like this online and to allow everyone to investigate it. I thank first responders, An Garda Síochána, the ambulance service and the Order of Malta from Fairview and Marino, who I have in with me today. I thank them for all they do, for how they …

The people I represent in Dublin Fingal West are already paying huge rents, with an average cost of close to €2,500 per month. A person on an ordinary wage is at nothing and has no hope of being able to rent. I am genuinely struggling to understand the logic of this Bill. The Minister has said openly that it will cause the cost of renting to increase. Any reasonable person would agree that rents i…

I thank Deputy Seamus Healy for tabling this excellent motion. People Before Profit obviously fully supports it. Next week, though it was supposed to be today but was cancelled because of the orange weather warning, Seamus, People Before Profit, Sinn Féin, other left Independents, the Social Democrats and the Labour Party will be launching the affordable Ireland campaign. That is a campaign that w…

I raise the issue of the Blackpool flood relief scheme. Blackpool has had 15 major floods since 1974. Three of them were in 2010, 2012 and 2013. It was decided in 2013 that a flood relief programme would be developed, and the submission was made in 2018 for the Minister for public expenditure to sign the statutory confirmation. The Minister gave the statutory confirmation. We are now into 2021, an…

Laois is one of nine counties that still does not have a domestic abuse refuge. Over the past 15 years I have been highlighting the fact that victims and their families are sent miles to other counties to a refuge away from services, such as their local GP, schools and family support. They are already traumatised by the abuse and this can further traumatise them. Unfortunately, there is an upsurge…

The number of people in emergency accommodation in this country is shocking but I want to highlight in particular the issue of family and child homelessness. The number of families in emergency accommodation has gone up by 100% since 2016, which is absolutely shocking. Many if not the majority of cases coming into me now of people stuck in emergency accommodation involve families with children, of…

I echo my party colleague's baffled and confounded response to this legislation. It fails to acknowledge the absolutely dire situation that so many renters are in, the crisis and emergency that this Government has created and the failure of the Government to provide any solutions. The system is pricing people out of renting and this Bill is only going to make matters worse. In my constituency, gr…