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362. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has engaged with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage or Tailte Éireann regarding the treatment of private childcare providers under the commercial rates system; and if she will outline the cross-departmental work underway to ensure equitable treatment of providers. [54243/26]

16. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the role his Department will play in amending and finalising the recently published draft national planning statement for rural and Gaeltacht housing. [53184/26]

55. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht whether he will take a role in the failure to deliver community centres and other community services in new housing estates. [52756/26]

56. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht his views on the recently announced draft National Planning Statement to Transform Approach to Rural Housing-Delivering Greater Clarity and Consistency. [53135/26]

421. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the key measures taken to tackle homelessness since January 2025; his priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53472/26]

422. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the key measures taken to tackle vacancy and dereliction since January 2025; his priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53473/26]

423. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the key measures taken to expand cost-rental provision since January 2025; his priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53474/26]

424. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the key measures taken to support apartment building since January 2025; his priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53475/26]

425. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the key measures taken to support first-time buyers since January 2025; his priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53476/26]

60. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the estimated cost of hosting a dedicated housing summit as part of Ireland's EU Presidency; the budget line from which this will be drawn; and whether a value-for-money assessment has been carried out or is planned. [53224/26]

206. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the estimated revenue raised by stamp duty from the sale of homes or residential zoned land to private citizens, public bodies, approved housing bodies and other non-profit companies; the estimated revenue raised by stamp duty from the sale of homes or residential zoned land to for-profit private companies; and if this da…

383. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the structure of the new Invasive Species Bureau; whether it will be an agency or a unit within his Department; whether it will have its own dedicated staff; if not, if it will be comprised of existing members of the ##Civil Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52658/26]

384. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider extending the vacant homes grant to facilitate applications through small companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52662/26]

385. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has made an expression of interest in taking ownership of Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52663/26]

386. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department or the National Parks and Wildlife Service has undertaken any assessment of the heritage, biodiversity, environmental or public amenity value of Newbury Demesne, Carbury, County Kildare; if his Department has considered the potential of historically and environmentally significant land…

389. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to request Met Éireann to urgently deal with a matter in south Kerry that has delayed the development of a walk on Valentia Island with funding secured from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht through the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme (details supplied); and if he wil…

390. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to review correspondence (details supplied); the grants being introduced to support same; the timeframe for their delivery; when they will open to applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52698/26]

391. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the assessment that has been made of the cumulative impacts of the proposed Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project on biodiversity, habitats and protected species within the Shannon Callows and wider Shannon catchment, particularly during periods of drought and low river flow; and if he will make a state…

392. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of a site (details supplied); whether any decisions, directions or determinations have issued since the meeting; if not, the reason for the delay; when a determination is expected; whether the excavation works and report submitted will satisfy the landowner’s financial obligations in respect of an…

393. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will introduce a waiver scheme for development contribution fees for first-time planning applicants seeking permission to build their first home, given the huge cost now involved in applying for planning permission and the fact some local authorities have increased the fees; and if he will make a statem…

396. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given that the European Space Agency has confirmed that their satellite measurements are showing a sharp surge in sea-surface temperatures across the Pacific, which signals that El Niño is back, if his Department is putting in place mitigation measures to deal with the resulting weather disruption in Ireland,; …

397. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is a specific policy within his Department that seeks to preclude those elected to local authorities from any boards that he may appoint; the rationale behind any such policy; the way in which it aligns with encouraging participation in local government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. […

398. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to commit to preparing legislation to not automatically exclude members of local authorities from consideration for appointment to State boards; and to set out the reasons such persons would be excluded. [52876/26]

399. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the independent panel to review the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, following the publication of IS 465, has been established; if so, the date on which the panel was established; the membership of the panel; its terms of reference; the expected timeframe for completion of its review; if not, the reaso…

400. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Local Government Reform Act 2014 removed the status of Kilkenny as a city, and that it continued to have the special clauses inserted in the legislation to ensure the continuation of this status and elect a mayor in line with all previous legislation enacted, such as the Local Government Act 2001 a…

I thank our staff John Campbell, Marc Nolan and Emmett Corcoran for putting this Private Members' business motion together for us, in the Dail today. Simply put, this motion is to strengthen whistleblower protections. It is about enforcement and accountability in public administration. The treatment of whistleblowers in this country has been an absolute disgrace. This motion is about trying to cha…

I welcome a group of transition year students who are with me today into the Gallery. They are aspiring TDs and are very welcome. This Government is budgeting like there is no tomorrow. It seems that prudent Paschal was actually profligate Paschal. Mr. Donohoe goes to Washington and leaves behind an overspend climbing towards €4 billion in 2025. In his second week on the job, the Tánaiste has had …

A letter was sent from Revenue's VAT interpretation and litigation branch of its taxes policy and legislation division to the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, stating that broiler-house chickens must be registered for VAT this year. Revenue is now saying they do not have to be registered but the Department of Finance is saying they do. A total of 83% of broiler-house chickens are on farms that are …

The Minister, Deputy Foley, will lead, with the support of the unit in my office, but she will also report to the Cabinet subcommittee, which will then make recommendations to the Cabinet. That is how this will work. The Cabinet subcommittee is very important because all the key Ministers have to be there. I agree with Deputy Cian O'Callaghan that the unemployment levels among the disability comm…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: R…

To continue on that, the Tánaiste really needs to get that this is not just business as usual but a humanitarian situation. The bottom line for me in Mayo, right from the beginning when I first saw people's houses collapsing, was that nobody would be left behind or locked out of this scheme because they could not afford to get into it, could not find an alternative property or whatever else might …

I spoke to a woman in my clinic on Monday who told me she is worried and anxious. She said she is nearly getting panic attacks because she does not know how she, her husband and her three kids are going to get through Christmas and what they are going to do in January when Christmas is over. They are doing everything now. She said they are watching the children in case they touch the heaters in th…

In the early days of my time in this office, I agree with the Deputy's broader point on spending reviews, not monetising every problem and making sure there is value for money. I will engage with colleagues in relation to that as well. I also acknowledge, and Deputy Doherty made this point earlier, and I was not saying it to be discourteous, that the way the rules of this place work is that peopl…

I am making the point respectfully that I sit here and hear wrongful framing and misrepresentation of my party, our manifesto and the general election. I look forward to debating that. As the leader of Fine Gael, I will debate that with the leader of Sinn Féin in due course. I look forward to that opportunity. In relation to the amendment before the House, I do not have a huge amount more to add …

I intend to focus my contribution on asking some questions about the statement the Minister of State made outlining this proposition and, in general terms, what the Supplementary Estimates are designed to support. A total Revised Estimate of €3.31 million was provided for tribunals of inquiry in 2025. We are talking about third-party costs for the Moriarty tribunal. The updated Estimate is €6.785…

Today we are once again discussing the legacy of the Moriarty tribunal, a process that began in 1997 and officially concluded in 2011, yet continues to cost the taxpayer millions. The latest revelation is an additional €3.5 million payment to settle outstanding legal costs. This comes on top of over €71 million already spent with previous settlements, such as €5.8 million earlier this year. This i…

I thank An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, Deputy Quaide, for his forbearance and allowing me to speak. I am very disappointed the Taoiseach is not here because this is a huge Vote and a huge amount of funding. There are many different aspects to it, in particular it deals with NAMA and Project Eagle, as was mentioned. There is also funding for the Moriarty tribunal, for which we are paying 30 years late…

As in previous years, the Social Democrats will be supporting the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill. Risk equalisation is necessary to ensure that older and sicker people do not face huge premiums because of their perceived risk. This modest measure also helps mitigate cherry-picking low-risk groups, such as younger and generally healthier people. In the context of our two-tier health service, whe…

I begin by acknowledging the presence of all those in the Visitors Gallery. They are all very welcome. I thank Deputy Carthy and Sinn Féin for bringing Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill 2025. It is fitting that we are discussing it on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. I also acknowledge every woman who has survived domestic, sexual or gender…

1. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the targets for the delivery of cost rental and affordable purchase homes by local authorities, approved housing bodies and the Land Development Agency under the Government's new housing plan from 2025 to 2030. [66119/25]

I would like the House to note that the Minister, of course, completely avoided the question and instead gave what can only be described as an Orwellian response to a simple question. There is no new starter home programme. What the Government has done is it has taken a bunch of schemes that existed under the previous Government's plan and, indeed, its predecessor, it has bundled them all up and …

Following on from a review of the private rental sector published by my Department in July 2024, the Housing Agency was commissioned to undertake a comprehensive review of the current system of rent controls using RPZs. The key focus of the review was to assess the operation of RPZs since their introduction and consider their impact on the market and relevant stakeholders, including the retention …

64. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the plans in the most recent housing plan, to increase the delivery of housing built using modern methods of construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65665/25]

I again thank Deputy Séamus McGrath for asking this question on behalf of Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere. I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 64 and 99 together. The new national housing plan contains a range of actions to increase skills and support modern methods of construction, building on the initiatives already in place. MMC is the term used to describe a range of compliant innovative construct…

I thank the Deputy for the important question on MMC. A dissemination programme is currently being developed by my Department and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to promote the use of these approaches in the education and construction sectors. These standardised designs build on my Department's existing design manual for quality housing, for example…

I appreciate that and I will send the Minister of State Sylvia's details, but, as he can see, there is a more general problem. There is somebody who works in here - I will not give away their identity- who is on a very modest income. They got cost-rental accommodation at €1,200, but their son was living with them who was earning. The son has moved out but they are stuck with a €1,200 rent but with…

I am not sure if the Minister of State knows this, but he should. If someone is not telling him this, he should get into the Department tomorrow and ask the question. He talks about preventative maintenance. At the current rate of preventative maintenance, it will take 78 years to do the stock survey of all local authority housing. That is the figure the Government provided to me - 78 years - and …

One thing I note is how often somebody tells there is something is on my desk when my desk is empty. It seems to be a term of art that something has arrived at the Department of housing somewhere. I can assure the Deputy that the Housing Agency received test results from the properties sampled in Fingal. I have received the final report from the Housing Agency. It literally was on my desk this wee…

I was going to reference that at the start. I know it is an issue close to the Chair's heart and her father's heart. It is an issue I have raised here on five or six occasions, primarily through Topical Issues. I thank the Minister of State for being here. Unfortunately, to my mind, nothing has changed after those attempts to raise this issue here in the past. For people at home who are not famili…

I agree with both Deputies. Whether it is arts or sport, we will prioritise areas with growing and burgeoning populations but without facilities. I am going to be very critical of local authorities again. Local authorities have in many cases allowed houses to be built all over the place and done very well out of development levy contribution schemes. Where has the money gone? We have to be honest.…