Search the Dáil record

438. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average cost of a buy and renew social home delivered in 2025. [47259/26]

439. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average cost to the Exchequer in 2025 of the delivery of a one person age friendly new build social home and of a two person age friendly social home. [47261/26]

440. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authorities that received additional funding from the Exchequer due to LPT collections below the baseline. [47263/26]

441. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of authorities that ran a surplus in 2024 or 2025. [47264/26]

443. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the overall non-specific funding provided to local authorities in 2026. [47266/26]

444. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will publish the local Government Taskforce Report. [47267/26]

445. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total cost to the Exchequer arising from the staffing of An Coimisiún Pleanála in 2025; and the number of staff that the funding covers. [47290/26]

446. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total cost to the Exchequer for the staffing of local authority planning and building control functions in 2025; and the number of staff that the funding covers. [47291/26]

449. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of delays within Tailte Éireann in processing mapping, registration and related property matters that are affecting homeowners’ ability to progress applications under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme; the number of applications that have been delayed as a result; the average waiting time…

450. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will confirm whether the issue of homeowners under the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme who have reached the maximum grant cap and are unable to reclaim engineering and professional fees incurred, in some cases up to €6,000 and paid prior to scheme approval, will be considered as part of the…

451. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the approval by his Department of new staff posts impacts on the annual allocations to local authorities; if there is latitude for changes following the LPT baseline review 2023 for staffing and other changes approved by his Department; if the baselines are fixed pending the next baseline revi…

452. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if local authority staffing is still subject to workforce planning; if so, if he will provide the criteria used and the documents underpinning the workforce plan; the baselines used; if this is reviewed post the publication of a census of population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47315/26]

453. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Questions Nos.1691 and 1695 of 14 April 2026, the number of new staff sanctioned for hire in all local authorities in each of the years 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026; and the number of new hires realised in those years. [47317/26]

454. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to eliminate the growing financial shortfall facing applicants under the defective concrete blocks (DCB) enhanced grant scheme; if he will address the policy anomaly where grant rates are legally tied to pre-2008 'like-for-like' specifications, while homeowners are legally mand…

455. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason there has been a near two year delay in the installation of a water tap promised by Waterways Ireland (details supplied); if he will provide a timeline for the installation of the tap; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47413/26]

456. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the development of an executive management board to direct Waterways Ireland, as recommended in 2021 (details supplied); the timeframe for the establishment of such a board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47414/26]

457. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he recognises the financial difficulties being faced by older persons and pensioners due to increases in rents under local authority differential rent schemes; if consideration will be given to introducing protections for pensioners and those on fixed incomes who are seeing their rents increase based on sma…

458. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, in light of the fact that IS465 now includes the testing of foundations for deleterious materials, if existing legislation will be amended of a statutory instrument signed so that the defective concrete block scheme will include funding to replace foundations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. […

459. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Government if his Department is considering measures to deal with disputes between neighbours over trees or other vegetation on private land, particularly where those trees are blocking sunlight; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47519/26]

460. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department plans to review boundaries in advance of the 2029 Local Election; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47559/26]

462. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the number of Mobility Aids Grants annually approved but not drawn down by the application as they are unable to fund part or all of works needed up front; the assistance that is available to those in this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47585/26]

464. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total landholding of his Department, broken down by county, including the amount currently unused or vacant, the portion zoned for development, and the number of sites that include vacant or derelict properties. [47628/26]

467. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the basis on which he decided not to intervene in respect of lands at Strandhill, County Sligo (details supplied); whether his office received any representations from any landowner, developer, or public representative in relation to those lands prior to that decision; and if so, to identify who made such represe…

469. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has concerns that the lack of a minimum threshold under Regulation (EU) 2024/900 in relation to hosting an online transparency notice may place serious burdens on those engaged in political life, particularly at local government level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47851/26]

470. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider making grant aid available to persons on limited incomes seeking to purchase and install modular homes in line with the Planning and Development Act 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47857/26]

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: P…

I welcome the opportunity to come before the House to discuss and seek approval for the final draft revised national planning framework, which was approved by Government on 8 April 2025. As already outlined by my colleague the Minister, the approval process for the finalisation of the revised national planning framework plays a key role in delivering on our broader objectives across Government and…

A national planning framework should be a road map for fairness, decent living standards, balanced development and a future where no community is written off. What we have before us in the draft framework falls far short of that. It is a framework that gestures at ambition but lacks the backbone to deliver. It reads more like a vague wish list than a serious plan for action. This Government has fa…

The national planning framework is a critical piece of work that underpins everything in regional planning, development plans and local area plans. It is vital we get this right, as this document goes to the very essence of how we do planning, development and infrastructure in this country. This plan should be an opportunity to set out and better reflect the need for a more balanced distribution o…

We are here today to discuss the final draft of the revised national planning framework, a crucial step towards Ireland's sustainable future. It is imperative that we address the acute infrastructure challenges in the areas of housing and transport. West Cork suffers from inadequate sewerage systems, particularly in areas like Dunmanway, Goleen, Shannonvale, Rosscarbery and Ballydehob. This makes …

I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: “Role of jury in High Court defamation actions 4. (1) Subject to subsection (2) and notwithstanding section 94 of The Courts of Justice Act 1924, or any other provision made by or under any enactment or rule of law, where a defamation action is tried by the High Court sitting with a jury— (a) all questions of…

I thank colleagues for their contributions, to which I will respond to presently. This is the first opportunity I have had since I was appointed as Minister for Justice to speak on the Defamation (Amendment) Bill. I was not, as is apparent, Minister for Justice when the House debated Second Stage. It is important that I, as Minister, acknowledge the difficult role the Oireachtas is trying to perf…

The Government built fewer houses last year than the year before, and the indications are that it will fail to meet targets again this year and build less. The evidence is there for all to see in growing costs and in the levels of homelessness. All the evidence and data are there. More importantly, the reality is lived every day, so the Taoiseach can stand up and spoof and shout at me and point hi…

The proposal for a so-called housing tsar will be one of the most egregious of this Government. The details in the programme for Government stated it would be under the Minister for housing but it is emerging that the pay would come from the Department of Finance. We are still unclear as to the remit or powers this new, well-remunerated role will have. As the Government dragged its heels on settin…

----and landlords and developers profit. Can we have a debate on housing in this House or will the Taoiseach wait and delay the housing plan-----

I wish to ask about the programme for Government commitment to earmark cost-rental units for key local workers like gardaí, teachers and nurses. We heard it at the GRA conference yesterday and at teacher conferences over Easter - housing is a key recruitment and retention issue. They need to be able to secure affordable accommodation that is accessible to the communities they serve. We already hav…

Many of our most vulnerable children and young people have been failed not only by CHI but also by the Government. Families from right across my constituency of Dublin Fingal East have contacted me in desperation, pleading for decent healthcare services for their children. A young mother in Swords who has turned her life around and gone back to education has a three-year-old child who has severe n…

I wish the Minister well in her position. We all get involved in politics because we want to do the right thing. I, too, acknowledge the wonderful staff in the health system, but this is about accountability and responsibility, both of which are lacking within CHI. I sometimes shudder when I listen to the words of CHI, and I will tell the Minister why. Katie Burke, who is now a young woman, has be…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "recognises that: — Children's Health Ireland (CHI) was made aware through the protected disclosure process of a concern relating to the threshold criteria being used for surgical intervention in relation to development dysplasia of the hip (DDH) September 2023; — the concern related to different ind…

I sat in this Chamber last night and watched the Minister of State's colleagues in Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Lowry Independents group vote against a Sinn Féin Bill that would have permanently banned water charges. In my few short months in this House I have seen Minister after Minister duck questions about a referendum on the public ownership of water. Water must be protected as a public good…

A considerable amount has already been said about how vital water is. That goes without saying. It is not difficult to make such an argument. A fair amount has been said, especially recently, when we have seen flyers from the other side about the return of water charges. A public service model is all that will be acceptable to the Irish people, so we just need to make sure we get to that point. T…

With your kind permission, a Cheann Comhairle, Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan will be sharing some of my time. I appreciate the opportunity to raise issues pertaining to my constituency and nationally relating to Irish Water. In particular, I want to raise the case of what is going on in Ballyhooly, a small village outside of the town of Fermoy. Ballyhooly has had ongoing significant problems with wat…

The question of Uisce Éireann is quite complex and it faces many challenges. The rushed approach to setting it up in the first place is one of the reasons that a myriad of different organisations is involved, as Deputy Lahart said. To this day, there are still Dublin City Council workers being contracted to do Uisce Éireann work. If there is a problem in a Dublin City Council area, one can ring Ui…

The programme for Government clearly states that the Government will build 300,000 houses over a five-year period. The truth is that Uisce Éireann cannot produce 50,000 connections in a year. If we consider the funding allocation, Uisce Éireann has €10 billion for the next ten years, but €5 billion of that will go into meeting EU regulations and €3 billion will go into the Shannon pipeline. That m…

Go raibh maith agat. I welcome the opportunity to have this discussion. It is also good to know we will have a further chance to talk about the current Trump slump later today. It is widely known that in the 1940s and 1950s, the cliché was that Ireland's biggest exports were live cattle and people. Many of these people went on to create lives and send money back to Ireland from the UK and the US.…

Yes, but it does not build houses. Let us not conflate the two. It is important to prevent homelessness but that scheme does not build houses. The focus has to be on how we get houses built faster and as quickly as we possibly can. I note that Deputy Hearne is quoting Sherry FitzGerald. When the Government used similar private sector bodies last year to identify projections, his party subsequentl…

I am absolutely focused, however. As far as I am concerned, it is a crisis. Young people need to be able to afford to buy houses and be able to rent houses at affordable prices. That is the Government's agenda and we have already allocated an additional €800 million in the first two months of this Government over and above what the provision was for housing.

I am sharing time with my colleague, Deputy Marie Sherlock. I was taken with the comments of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, in his contribution earlier. The Minister has been Minister across the finance briefs for many years, through a number of crises. His general approach to things is one of calm. He is not one for hyperbole. He spoke about global economic activity increasingly fragm…

I too am concerned about tariffs as there are more than 9,000 FDI jobs in Clonmel and thousands more of them in Dungarvan up the road from me. However, like Deputy Nolan, I too am concerned about the tariffs that our own Government has imposed on the ordinary people, such as the punitive carbon tax and the nearly 48% tax applied to anyone wanting to build a new home. I am talking about people buil…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 to 36, inclusive, together. The first meeting of the new Cabinet committee on infrastructure took place on Monday, 24 March, and the next one will take place on Monday, 28 April. Membership of the Cabinet committee consists of the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Minister for Finance, Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Deliver…