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98. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the HAP review will be published and enacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47824/26]

101. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the planning permission for Newmarket in Dublin 8 will be progressed and made affordable for a community indoor market. [48283/26]

102. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his expectations for starter home supports in 2026 in light of the significant increase in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48066/26]

104. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current number of vacant homes officers in each respective local authority; his plans to provide funding for the recruitment of additional vacant homes officers where needed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48275/26]

105. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on engagement with lending institutions regarding the potential expansion of the first home scheme to include first-time buyers purchasing second-hand homes; the progress made to date in this regard, any timelines for decisions or implementation; the expected impact such an extension would…

107. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to ensure transparency in the home-buying process; if he will deal with artificial bidding wars, gazumping and ghost bids; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47822/26]

108. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 652 and 653 of 19 May 2026, the basis on which his Department refused to identify geographical areas where funded NPWS enforcement posts are vacant, citing operational security; whether any written policy, risk assessment, legal advice or formal security assessment underpin…

110. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the changes now needed to the enhanced defective concrete block grant scheme in view of the publishing of the NSAI’s new standard I.S. 465:2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48147/26]

111. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on Land Development Agency plans for Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48274/26]

114. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if all local authorities are working off a national differential rent scheme; if not, the different schemes being operated currently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47583/26]

115. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will take immediate steps to strengthen local democracy by reconstituting boroughs or corporations similar to the structures that once operated; and if he will consider Kilkenny city as a pilot project. [48286/26]

117. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to earmark certain cost rental units for key local workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47675/26]

118. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he considers council rents to be too low at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48201/26]

120. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures his Department is taking to monitor whether local authorities are actively seeking out and registering all derelict properties within their areas to ensure that action can be taken to bring these properties back into use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48002/26]

123. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an updated on the affordable purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48092/26]

126. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority home loans issued, by county in 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of LAHLs, by county that have been refused for the same periods; the average household income by county, for those who have been refused a LAHL; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48244/26]

127. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an outline of his Department's current actions and future plans in the area of biodiversity which is within the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48204/26]

128. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures his Department is taking to ensure that zoned residential land is brought forward for development in a timely manner; the actions being taken to support and challenge local authorities in identifying and activating undeveloped residentially zoned land within their areas; whether targets, reporting…

129. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage with regard to the croí cónaithe scheme the number of people who have applied, been approved, and been drawn down in Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48041/26]

130. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline recent funding under the Local Authority Waters Programme; the funding allocated to Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48186/26]

131. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the long-awaited sewerage schemes for the villages of Broadford and Cooraclare in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47825/26]

140. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on proposals to provide for developer led water and wastewater infrastructure to allow for the construction of homes. [47896/26]

142. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage with regard to the croí cónaithe scheme the number people have applied, been approved, and been drawn down in Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48042/26]

143. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authorities that have a dedicated “Local Authority Renewable Strategy or Wind Energy Strategy” as part of their County Development Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47582/26]

147. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline his efforts to tackle dereliction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46880/26]

People will gather to send a strong message to the Government. It is time for a radical reset of housing policy. No more incoherent policy changes. We need to see the radical reset the Housing Commission has called for because only the State has the deep pockets necessary to underwrite the construction of homes at the scale that is needed. The Government must scale up its effort and ambition, not …

That is because driving record rents even higher, according to the Government, is somehow going to bring rents down. Make that make sense. No wonder the Taoiseach's Cabinet colleagues are utterly bewildered. The Taoiseach has claimed repeatedly that housing is the Government's biggest priority. Yet, when it comes to policy announcements, they are chaotic and sloppy. Even today, the Minister conce…

The Government's focus has been on housing supply. The Government has dramatically increased the level of public sector investment. We had record numbers of social houses built in the last four years. One would need to go as far back as 1975 to get an equivalent level of social housing built.

-----and wanted to get rid of the help to buy scheme. It wants to get rid of those two schemes for first-time buyers. In addition, we have produced very significant grant support for people who want to renovate and live in a derelict house, for example, or in a vacant house. This is not investor led. This is people-led investment and support that we as a Government have introduced and will continu…

The local property tax is an unjust tax on the family home. It should never have been introduced. A home should never have been turned into a financial asset. It should be treated not as a source of wealth but as a necessity. The original household charge was brought in during the crash when the troika came to town. Like many other measures from the time of austerity, it was supposed to have been …

I am grateful for the opportunity to address the House on the Finance (Local Property Tax and Other Provisions) (Amendment) Bill 2025. As a representative of Dublin Rathdown, I am acutely aware of the importance of the local property tax, both as a source of funding for our local authority and as a topic of real concern for homeowners and communities across the country. I wish to set out clearly w…

Local property tax was set out to be tax for local authorities. I am not totally opposed to any tax as long as it delivers on exactly what it was meant to be. I will outline to the Minister exactly where it did not deliver in County Cork in recent years. A road at Allihies collapsed and there is no longer a lead road into that community. The council does not have money and has basically walked awa…

I thought the other Member would have used his time. I will get to my own speech. I would love to address some of the nonsense about my own party but today I do not have the energy in me to start a fight. I will stick to the speech I have. There is a bit of an irony in what we are doing in dealing with this Bill, which is to nominally but not effectively reduce the cost of property tax that house…

On behalf of the 100% Redress Party I voice my strong support for the Raise the Roof campaign. We need to call the housing and homelessness crisis what it is; a national emergency. This is a national emergency and requires a national emergency response. This crisis has been going on for over a decade. Over ten years there has been a lack of housing, rising rents, crumbling homes and increased home…

Students are among the most mobile of all renters and will be disproportionately and negatively impacted by this new measure. I questioned the Minister for further and higher education in a committee meeting to ask what measures would be put in place to protect students against the impact of these changes. It was clear that students had not even been taken into account when the changes to rent pre…

Many of us have met the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, as the Minister of State has. When its representatives met me, it was with a constituent who I had met many times previously about the fact there has not been any community neuro-rehabilitation team in what we term the north east. We have not had it in CHO 8 and in what will be the regional health authority of Dublin north-east. We need to …

To be clear, the United States of America used the veto. I have no issue about that. I think I referenced the President of the United States on a number of occasions today in regard to my concern about the potential use of the veto. The United States used the veto, and I think it was an appalling use of it. It is a sign of the dysfunctionality of the Security Council. I fully agree with the Deputy…

I thank Deputy Smith. I believe that when the representatives of Palestine met the foreign affairs committee and addressed the matter, they referred to Ireland and possibly Algeria as two of the most supportive countries of their actions. Perhaps that is not articulated enough in the House. This country, the Government and the Oireachtas are doing everything we possibly can, and we will continue t…

I wish to raise a matter of urgent importance affecting communities across Kildare North, that is, the sustained and worsening failure in water infrastructure, particularly in Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth. For far too long, families in estates such as Primrose Hill, Temple Manor and The Grove in Celbridge have been forced to endure weekend after weekend of drastically reduced water pressure. Co…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dail Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that, the Government: — condemns the renewed Israeli military offensive and plans to establish full control of the Gaza Strip; — urges all parties to return to talks aimed at securing an immediate ceasefire and hostage release deal; — recalls that Ireland repeatedly condemned the terrorist at…

The so-called rent reform plan the Government announced yesterday is a shambles. The Taoiseach is literally all over the place, confused by his own back-of-the-envelope proposal and unclear as to what he is saying. There is one thing that is clear - the Government's plan will push up rents even further. It is only a question of when renters will be hit. The Government will allow landlords themselv…

The Deputy opposite has made assertions in his Leaders' Question and I am quite entitled to respond to them. The bottom line here is supply. There is nothing coming from him on supply. The Housing Commission recommended reform of the RPZ scheme. The Social Democrats welcomed the Housing Commission report at the time and attacked Government for the failure to respond to it. I remember it well in th…

Can the Taoiseach explain to the Members of this House how members of An Garda Síochána were deployed to recruit at IPAS centres, centres housing individuals many of whom have entered the State without passports or documentation and without verification of background checks? Some of these individuals may not be the vulnerable cases as the Government often portrays, yet gardaí were sent in and invi…

On 10 September 2024, the Cabinet in the previous Government agreed to a Bill that would provide for further regulation of nicotine inhaling products, particularly with regard to a ban on disposable vapes and restrictions on advertising, colours, flavours and imagery used on nicotine inhaling products. It is also in the programme for Government. This is a public health emergency. It has been an ac…

First, I send our deepest sympathies to all affected by the horrific and shocking shooting and killing in Austria. Our thoughts are with all those who have been killed, their families and relatives. The reforms announced today of the rental sector will strengthen the rights of new and existing tenants in Irish society. That is a central part of the reform. Those reforms have been informed by the …

The Housing Agency report as published had four options. The Government has gone with the option of adapting the existing RPZs because they would expire by the end of the year if nothing was done. This is a strong measure in terms of protection but also in terms of new builds. We need to incentivise future investment in new apartment buildings and housing. I put it to the Deputy that the State is …

Deputy Neville is correct. We need to see a specific focus on basic, strategic infrastructure in the review of the national development plan. That is why the Government has set out prioritisation around transport, energy, water and housing in particular. I am familiar with Leixlip as it borders my constituency. Clearly the area has grown significantly, with infrastructure that was built some time …

In the changes announced today, there is an air of desperation on the part of the Minister of State and the Government to try to drive up housing supply. By lifting the cap on rents in order to attract institutional funding, the Government is effectively condemning workers and families, in Dublin in particular, to a lifetime of astronomical rents when there are fewer and fewer options to buy. Youn…

We have not had a chance to question the housing Minister, that I can recall, since coming into this Dáil. I wanted to register that. We have already seen him raising this great idea of the housing tsar. Somebody commented that we have not seen a tsar disappear so quickly since 1917. That idea has gone. I will address some of the measures announced today. No-fault evictions have been banned for l…

I acknowledge the progress made this year to date. The CSO has announced 5,938 home completions happened in quarter 1 of 2025, which is the second highest first quarter since the series began in 2011, and that apartment completions in quarter 1 of 2025 were up 13.4% on quarter 1 of 2024. Many more apartments need to be built and I hope the announcements being made will increase the number being bu…