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1024. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 350 of 14 May 2026, if he will consider additional correspondence in relation to the right to cut turf (details supplied); and proceed to positively conclude the CTCCS applications in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41602/26]

1025. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can advise on the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41628/26]

1026. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the acquisition and conservation of this historic building (details supplied) has been considered for use as a public amenity as part of the Dublin Bay Biosphere; and if the National Parks and Wildlife Service would consider purchasing it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41631/26]

1027. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total amount of commercial rates income collected by each local authority in the State for each of the past five years; the figures for gross rates billed, rates collected, collection percentage, and arrears for each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41634/26]

1028. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being taken to tackle vacancy and dereliction in town centres including Mullingar, Athlone, Longford Town and Granard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41639/26]

1029. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current number of individuals and families accessing emergency accommodation in Longford and Westmeath; the supports available to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41641/26]

1030. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the national directorate for fire and emergency management guidance or the framework for major emergency management provide explicit guidance and direction to local authority fire services for the competent and complete response to emergency incidents that could occur at stationary battery energy stora…

1032. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he intends to publish the financial returns from the nine lead authorities on their expenditure on homelessness services for 2025; and the lead authorities Q4 Performance Reports for 2025. [41735/26]

1033. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he would support a ban on the importation of non-native honeybee; and to outline the work being conducted by his Department on protections for the native Irish honeybee. [41776/26]

1035. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of staffing sanction requests approved by his Department for Cavan, Wexford, Mayo and Donegal County Councils in the period of 1 January 2023 to 1 May 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41896/26]

1036. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated full year cost, if the number of conservation rangers within his Department increased to 165; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41897/26]

1037. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update and timeline for each stage of the regeneration projects in Waterford, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41898/26]

1038. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his response to the European Commission decision to open an infringement procedure against Ireland (INFR(2026)2051) for failing to fulfil our obligations under the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) and the Birds Directive (Directive 2009/147/EC) to complete our network of marine Natura 2000 sites; his pla…

1039. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department is aware of the structural and safety concerns relating to balconies (details supplied); if the development is being considered for inclusion under an existing or proposed apartment and duplex defect redress scheme; if guidance has issued regarding interim safety and remediation responsibili…

1040. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 264 of 6 May 2026, if his Department has commissioned any plans for assessments regarding the Martello Tower at Sandymount, Dublin.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41964/26]

1042. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will consider a policy mechanism to ringfence court-mandated wildlife crime prosecution fines so that they remain within the county where the offense occurred; if these localised funds can be made directly accessible to registered county-level wildlife rehabilitation centres to support native …

1043. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department, in conjunction with the national parks and wildlife service, will launch a nationwide public awareness campaign highlighting the dangers of cattle grids to native wildlife, specifically hedgehogs; if mitigation guidelines, such as escape ramps, will be promoted nationally; and if he will make…

1046. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to develop social and affordable homes in Cork city and county over the coming year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42050/26]

1048. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if shops that are registered charity shops are liable for rates by local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42058/26]

1050. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will issue a directive to local authorities directing them to exempt commercial rates for registered charity shops, in light of a High Court decision relating to the matter in October 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42092/26]

1053. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the introduction of a publicly accessible, redacted online bidding log for active sales, similar to international models to provide real-time assurance to buyers without compromising data privacy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42123/26]

1054. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for a rightsizing scheme for private homeowners, who own their own home but wish to downsize; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42154/26]

1055. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 560 of 21 April 2026 and 586 of 19 May 2026, in which it was confirmed that his Department can provide Excel versions of the published Local Authority Regional Homelessness Financial Reports directly upon request in compliance with S.I. No. 376/2021; if his Department wil…

1056. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total amount spent by his Department on public procurement in 2025; to provide a breakdown, where available, by goods, services, works procurement expenditure, by expenditure procured directly by his Department and expenditure procured through central purchasing arrangements or frameworks; and if he will ma…

1057. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department is fully compliant with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Model Publication Scheme Guidance, issued under section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act 2014, specifically the requirements under section D and section E (details supplied); to publish quarterly the contracts award…

I wish Senan Molony well on his retirement. He might even miss us all in here when he has departed. The recall of the Dáil before the planned first-phase restoration of excise duty was inevitable. It was predictable, and so the silly season August shadow-boxing was over before it began. It comes as no surprise to us that the sham fight was brought to an early close. We all know why we are here. …

The Minister finished on the bit I am interested in and that I specifically asked about,. What was the latest weekly update? The information the Minister has just given me was previously provided to the House on 23 April. It is now 16 July. Does the Minister have any additional information to provide to the House as of this week?

There is someone the Tánaiste knows very well in the Public Gallery. She is the unstoppable and heroic Cara Darmody. Cara has just completed her third 50-hour protest outside the Dáil, calling for real action for children and young people waiting for an assessment of need. It is high time that the Government did the right thing, as Cara has asked for. In fact, the Tánaiste might take the opportuni…

What a constructive contribution. This is the sort of thinking we need. I thank the Deputy for that. I do not 100% know what the right thing to do here is, but what I 100% know is that the current situation is extraordinarily dangerous and needs to change. I do not say this to blame parents, but there is an issue here. It may be awareness, as the Deputy says, but there is a real issue here. Kids a…

I will finish on this point. The council bought a site nearly three years ago for an eight-unit refuge. There was a lack of progress, but an approved housing body, AHB, Tuath Housing, has been secured to put that in place.

Middle-income working families continue to shoulder the greatest burden of rising living costs. Many are earning too much to qualify for targeted supports and they are finding it increasingly difficult to meet the costs of childcare and housing, and also to meet everyday expenses. At the same time, wage increases intended to keep pace with inflation are pushing more workers into the higher rate of…

I thank you, a Leas Cheann-Comhairle, for your work and support during the year and thank all the staff here. I wish my colleagues in government the best of luck over the summer and respite from our robust engagement. We look forward to going at it again in the autumn. I want to raise an issue related to Dublin Fire Brigade and the emergency response framework that exists. I have been very concer…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to entitle certain persons caring for others to be entered in the register of postal voters, for that purpose to amend the Electoral Act 1992, and to provide for related matters. I am very happy to introduce the Electoral (Postal Voting) (Carers) Bill 2026 for family carers throughout this country. For too long, family carers have…

I warmly welcome this initiative on the part of the Tánaiste. This is certainly not the first time that Irish unity has been raised on the floor of House, but, generally speaking, it is those of us of this political stripe and on this side of the House who have been pressing for it, so I sincerely thank the Tánaiste for his commentary, which I find constructive. Actually, I find it very refreshing…

I welcome this debate on the financial implications of a united Ireland. I acknowledge that the Tánaiste and so many other Members in this House see its merits in the future. I would have hoped that in this House we would at least have moved past the time of framing this without casting a value judgment. Any discussion on the financial implications of a united Ireland today that is based upon cred…

I note Deputy Gould's emotive and emotional remarks and his tour of recent Irish history, but the focus of this debate and this society need to be on the present and on preparing for the future. I mean it most sincerely that there is an onus on us and a responsibility on all of us who believe that uniting Ireland is the best way in which we can serve the material interests of our people to ditch t…

I am glad of the opportunity to speak on the issue of Irish unity. Aontú is one of the few parties in this House that is active North and South and that stands candidates in elections in every county. At this time, the poll figures indicate that we are moving in the right direction. Even our opponents on this issue are almost accepting the inevitability of a united Ireland. I feel an enormous priv…

I have been listening to this debate in my office since Deputy Currie started her contribution. I always follow these debates on Irish unity with interest as someone who wants to see a united Ireland by consent. I note that this discussion is focusing on the fiscal elements required to help make it a reality, but these considerations can never be looked at in isolation. During my brief contributio…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute briefly on this debate. I was listening to some of it. I echo some of the comments made by Deputy Gogarty about the provocative nature of some of the matters that he raised and the wide range of issues we would need to consider. We do not talk about the North in this House enough. I have been here ten years and it seems to me that we are only really beginnin…

The issue I am raising with the Minister of State is the increase in the number of injuries, including those involving young children, relating to e-scooters and e-bikes. Ten have been killed. Temple Street hospital consultants have been highlighting the number of serious injuries, including the fact that six children are currently in the intensive care unit. The Children's Health Ireland report r…

In case I forget to do so at the end, I take this opportunity to thank all of the people who work here. This is a workplace, and I often remark that when we leave here at 11 p.m. or midnight on a Wednesday, the people we pass on the way out are often the first people we pass on the way in at 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. the following day when the work of Dáil is starting again. It is not a normal workplace, b…

-----to put in place waste solutions that suit their areas. If this means that there is a different solution in Dublin City Council's area than in the other local authority areas across the county, then that is how it should be. Unfortunately, that power rests with the chief executive. Despite councillors and the elected representatives of a city wanting something different, they are not empowered…

I thank all the Deputies who contributed to today's debate. I acknowledge and appreciate the thoughtful and constructive manner in which this debate has engaged with a really important issue. The one broad consensus and fundamental point that has been raised is that we all want a household waste collection system that is affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable but also has the capacit…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Thomas Gould - To discuss the bus service in Cork city. Deputy Ryan O'Meara - To discuss the establishment of an SATU in the HSE Mid West region. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the need for the development of Bunclody Community …

I accept the devastation for families on receiving that news yesterday. This is not the news they wanted to hear. The previous month a drug was approved and that was welcomed across the House. The very same group made that recommendation in respect of that drug. There is an urgency attached to this and we are prepared to work with Members of the House in terms of the processes. We all accept that,…

Not least among these is the migration issue, which is having a significant impact. Across the board, we have taken significant initiatives, which have been opposed by the Opposition, to deliver housing. I still think that the Government's programme is more substantive, effective and impactful than any proposals that brought forward by other political parties in the House.

It has been ramped up, for God's sake. Billions are going into the Land Development Agency. That is how thin the Labour Party's proposals are. Genuinely, there is no real substance coming from the Opposition on housing in terms of adding to our stock. We did the exemption for back gardens, but those in opposition just dismissed that. We did rural housing and that was also dismissed. The Department…

A dedicated body, to be known as The Cork City Futures Group, will work to unlock the city’s full economic, cultural and academic potential, alongside further investment, innovation and infrastructure. I think people are familiar with the terms of reference. The group is comprised of members representing academia, business, An Garda Síochána, the arts and culture sector, tourism, transport and the…

Deputy Séamus McGrath raised the issue of the need for a strategic integration transport office in Cork. There are multi-billion euro projects on the go at the moment. The biggest one is the docklands. On 23 June, the Government approved a preliminary business case for the Cork city docklands enabling an infrastructure investment programme. That was reviewed by the major projects advisory group in…

I too welcome the family of Jennifer Poole. The Ceann Comhairle has identified them individually. I specifically highlight Jason Poole, who has been steadfast in his support for this legislation. That has been hugely important to me in trying to advance this legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas. I also acknowledge the role played by all colleagues in this House. We are all aware of the…