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113. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he has assessed the potential financial impact on Fingal County Council arising from the transfer of derelict sites levy collection over to the Revenue Commissioners; the estimated amount of derelict sites levy revenue that Fingal County Council would forego under the new arrangements; the alternati…

114. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the forthcoming National Invasive Species Management Strategy for Ireland will give due consideration to the spread of invasive African curly waterweed (lagarosiphon major) and invasive Canadian pondweed (Elodea sp.) in Lough Corrib SAC, County Galway, as referenced in the European Communities (Birds and N…

115. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures he is taking to address the increasing number of people presenting to Kildare County Council as homeless following the introduction of the Residential Tenancies Act 2026 [46371/26]

116. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the recommendations of final report of the Local Democracy Taskforce will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46387/26]

117. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 1138 of 9 June 2026, if he will undertake a regulatory impact assessment of the regulation noting that the European Commission's impact assessment of Regulation 2024/900 primarily concerned the regulation of online political advertising, and contained no reference or considerat…

119. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he has assessed the potential financial impact on Fingal County Council arising from the transfer of derelict sites levy collection over to the Revenue Commissioners; the estimated amount of derelict sites levy revenue that Fingal County Council would forego under the new arrangements; and if he wil…

132. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he has applied, or intends to apply, to the European Commission for a temporary reduction of Ireland's mandatory solidarity contributions under Article 7(6) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1351; if not, the basis on which the Government considers Ireland not to be in a "critical situation" within the meaning of that A…

141. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to update the house on the short-term letting Bill 2025 coming from his Department. [45285/26]

252. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether his Department will review the eligibility criteria for the solar PV grant to make provision for homeowners in housing developments where planning permission was granted prior to 2021, but construction was completed after 2021 and where the dwellings were therefore not required to include solar PV or h…

438. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider amending or extending the bus route for a school (details supplied) to include houses along the L8294, considering the lack of after school facilities for families in the area which leaves them facing difficulties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45016/26]

561. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the guidelines for wind farms will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45789/26]

562. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to introduce a scheme that will support relocation for those living in homes located close to areas at risk of coastal erosion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45870/26]

566. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a detailed progress report in regard to the proposed wastewater treatment system for Beaufort village, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45098/26]

567. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in noting that Dublin City Council has had to pause its financial contribution scheme, when will his Department allocate funding and introduce a national right sizing policy that will allow local authorities re-establish this important scheme. [45104/26]

569. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when his Department will allocate funding and introduce a national right sizing policy that will allow local authorities re-establish a scheme given that Dublin City Council has had to pause its financial contribution scheme. [45155/26]

570. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether for procurement spend, a purchase order can be raised within his Department's financial management systems without reference to a contract, framework agreement, procurement process or other authorising arrangement; if so, the circumstances in which this may occur; and if he will make a statement on the m…

571. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether an invoice can be paid by his Department without an associated purchase order having first been raised; if so, the circumstances in which this may occur; the number and value of payments made during quarter one of 2026 which were not associated with a purchase order; and if he will make a statement on th…

572. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will clarify the position in respect of the cessation of the pyrite remediation scheme; his plans to continue support persons in geographical areas where pyrite is a known cause of disruption in dwellings; the number of households supported since the scheme opened; and expenditure on same. [45207/26]

573. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has an any way to identify which Parliamentary Questions are AI generated; and the amount it costs, on average, to answer a Parliamentary Question. [45374/26]

574. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the direction to local authorities will issue to allow victims and survivors of domestic abuse to move from one local authority list to another while retaining their years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45417/26]

575. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of properties delivered for people with disabilities by Meath County Council, for each of the years 2021 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45418/26]

576. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social, affordable and cost rental homes completed in Meath in 2024, 2025, and to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45419/26]

578. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of properties which have been brought back into use under the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant in County Meath, by year since 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45421/26]

579. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 568 of 21 March 2026, if he can provide an update on the Navan Local Distributer Road - LDR 1A project application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45422/26]

580. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding provided for Meath County Council for the tenant-in-situ purchase scheme for 2026; the estimated number of homes which will be purchased in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45423/26]

I thank the Members. Before we proceed with the business, I wish to make a short statement. I wish to thank all who contributed to the motion today, including those who spoke against me, demonstrating their entitlement to free and orderly debate. It is regrettable the matter of speaking rights was unable to be resolved by consensus, despite 20 hours of full and frank discussion on the matter and m…

I again put on the record of the House our commendation for the Justice for the Forgotten group, without which I do not believe we would even have seen the progress we have. I acknowledge that, for many years, the victims' families and the survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings were essentially ostracised. There were 30 years in this House when there was not even a parliamentary question su…

We agree on a lot. I also point out that, as the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, has just said, the RRDF is helping in terms of building community revitalisation to assist in housing as well. We announced 30 RRDF projects last year, worth €164 million. A total of €20 million was spent under the town and village renewal scheme. That window is open again this year. We are looking at how we build…

In the context of the national housing emergency, many of the large-scale social housing complexes in my constituency and other urban constituencies have been earmarked for regeneration to address the deplorable condition of many of them, and to increase the density of these sites with additional social and affordable homes. However, I want the Minister's assurance today that the Government is ful…

During the course of the last week, the Governor of the Central Bank, Gabriel Makhlouf, entered the debate on housing. He did so in response to a Government initiative calling for greater liquidity for developers and builders. He told us that the banks are well capitalised and have plenty of money to lend but that they would do so subject to their own lending criteria and risk assessment. If you t…

I welcome the Bill. The move to address a long-standing inequality in the law is positive. It is a pity that it took a court case to force the Government to make these changes. I commend Mr. O'Meara on taking that case. The loss of a loved partner is the same if a partner is married or unmarried. The grief felt by the family is the same and therefore the rights and entitlements should be the same.…

All Members in the House today are very passionate about this issue. They all have their own personal stories of people who have lost loved ones. I thank my Sinn Féin colleagues for some very good contributions. We talking about a Bill that is not perfect - we have Second Stage debates to try to tweak legislation - but it is not merely a Bill; it is a lifeline for thousands of families. We often c…

I am thankful for the opportunity to raise this issue. Coventry was once the most Irish city in England and in the early 1960s, there were 20,000 Irish-born people living in Coventry. The industries there attracted Irish people who worked in factories, on the buses and in hospitals. They built the ring road, housing estates and the new cathedral. The Irish community flourished. People came togethe…

I know what you are about. You have been at it for a long time and your tactics are well known. However, they will be met by steel on this side of the House. You are not going to run the House, Deputy McDonald, and Sinn Féin will not run the House.

I cannot speak for the Signal conversations. We saw what was said there. I cannot speak either for pressure on people to spend money on defence. I think Deputy Lahart summed it up best. He mentioned the Nordic countries and said they are terrified but prepared. That is why these individual countries, not the EU, want to spend more on their own defence. I have here a booklet that has been sent out …

I appreciate the contributions of all Deputies. I thank them for taking the time to carefully consider this motion to extend the ARP scheme. It would be remiss of me, however, if I did not mention in particular the former Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and acknowledge his sterling work in this area and in the provision of care for Ukrainians. I wish to put that on the record. As provided for under th…

I thank the Deputy for his question. We recognise the need to address the short-term letting sector in areas of housing need, especially in areas of high demand such as Dublin city, and where properties are not compliant with planning requirements. The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is committed to introducing a short-term letting and tourism Bill that will provide the statutory b…

2. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm if he intends to review the housing completion target for 2025; the number of new homes his Department estimates will now be completed in 2025; the additional measures he plans to take to increase housing construction; the engagement he has had with the Department of Finance and Department of Public Ex…

3. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to comment on the ongoing delay in his Department's approvals for social and affordable housing projects funded via SHIP, CAS, CALF, CREL and AHF; to confirm the total number of projects submitted to his Department under each funding stream since September 2024 to date in 2025; the number that have been approved, …

A significant number of social and affordable housing applications were delayed in the Minister's Department at the latter end of last year, pending approval. We do not have the final figure but it could be anywhere in the region of 5,000 units. At Cabinet, the Minister got approval to progress 3,000 of those. However, my understanding is that the vast majority of those have yet to be formally app…

5. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm the total delivery of affordable purchase and cost-rental homes in 2024 by local authorities, approved housing bodies and the Land Development Agency; and his views on the low output under these schemes and growing number of people unable to access these properties due to the unaffordable rents and hous…

The target of 15,000 a year is significant and something that the Government will do its level best to achieve. The specific measures I outlined earlier are very welcome. I want to raise one specific point about the first home scheme. It is an important vehicle for home ownership. It is a form of affordable housing, without doubt, but many new properties are falling outside the limits of the sche…

I thank Deputy Gould for his contribution. As I said, €11,000 is not a limit - more can be put into individual houses - but that is an average. It can also be combined with those energy efficiency grants. Much can be done in terms of improving houses with those energy efficiency grants, which, as I said, are upwards of €48,000. If there are problem areas, I know the Minister, Deputy Browne, has an…

The tenant in situ acquisitions programme has been a key measure in the prevention of homelessness since its introduction in 2023. Therefore, Government has agreed funding to continue the programme for 2025. My Department has notified local authorities on the extension of the programme, and a circular setting out the arrangements will issue shortly. In 2023, Fingal County Council purchased a tota…

I thank the Deputy for this important question. I am very much aware of the housing crisis right across this country that causes very serious pain and suffering for individual families as a result. That is why I am determined to get our housing deliveries increased at a significant level. The tenant in situ scheme is a programme to ensure that people do not become homeless. That is why €325 millio…

I thank Deputy Ardagh for raising this very important question regarding St. Michael's Estate in Inchicore. She has been pursuing a campaign and working extremely hard on the matter for some time. Under Housing for All, the Government set out plans to deliver 54,000 affordable homes, including 36,000 affordable purchase and 18,000 cost-rental homes, by 2030. To deliver on this objective, the Gove…

15. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the role of accessibility officers in Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council; what oversight is in place to ensure future housing developments meet universal design standards; and if additional measures are being considered to improve accessibility in social and affordable housing…

I, too, welcome that. On the occupied territories Bill, my office was in touch with Senator Black yesterday to arrange for me to meet with her. I will come back to the Deputy once that has happened. In the vein of controlling what is within our control, and we can talk about this more when we have our briefing and engagement, it is imperative that we look at what is within our control and what con…

It has been a week now since Micheál Martin visited Donald Trump in the White House. He grovelled. He licked his boots. He simpered in front of him. He laughed at his stupid jokes and a brave face was put on the appearance by Micheál Martin himself and by the media which spoke about what wise, quiet diplomacy this was. I wonder whether - surely somewhere - deep inside Micheál Martin there is some …

The antidemocratic suggestions are not being put from this side of the House. The world around us is changing as we speak. In recent weeks and months, the postwar system that has brought us peace and security unknown to any past generation has been called into question. Our European friends and allies recognise this. Policy changes that would have been unthinkable a decade ago or even a year ago …