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616. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider making it mandatory for local authority meetings to be live streamed, recorded and published for the public to view; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37466/26]

617. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will ensure local councillors are given greater autonomy over the development of their County Development Plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37467/26]

621. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the number of social homes retrofitted in each of the past five years respectively. [26991/26]

626. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will reinstate funding to the Oliver Bond Regeneration Forum which ended in August 2025. [37606/26]

627. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to ensure that a person (details supplied) receives a prompt and adequate response from the property agents to their request for a detailed breakdown of the fire levy charges. [37618/26]

628. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can ensure that student accommodation located in rent pressure zones is not subject to inflating service charges, as an alternative to rent increases, as providers are restricted in increasing rents in these areas. [37628/26]

630. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the €150 million is ring-fenced to support households exiting long-term homeless accommodation will be allocated among local authorities; the criteria that will apply; the number of exits from homelessness that are projected under this funding stream in 2026; and if he will make a statement on t…

633. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the criteria that will govern access to the contingency fund of approximately €16 million; the way in which local authorities may apply for additional allocations; whether this funding is expected to be fully drawn down in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37633/26]

634. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to explain the rationale for authorising local authorities to commit up to 30% of their 2026 base allocation for acquisitions that may only complete in 2027; the way in which this multi-annual approach supports pipeline planning and delivery certainty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37634/26]

637. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current and planned development works at the Martello Tower at Meelick, County Galway; the proposals to extend the existing public walkway to provide safe and direct access to the Martello Tower; the plans to provide an accessible viewing point of the River Shannon from the top of the tower; the current stat…

638. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the regulations and guidelines being considered relative to the development of on shore wind farms; and if an indicative timeframe will be provided for their implementation [37644/26]

639. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the role his Department has on the Developer Provided Infrastructure (DPI) Steering Group; the number of times this group met in 2025 and to-date in 2026; the role his Department places in oversight on this Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37680/26]

641. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if landlords with tenancies in place prior to 1 March 2026 will continue to retain the right to terminate a tenancy under section 34 of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2025 where vacant possession is required to carry out remediation works to dwellings affected by defective concrete blocks; and if he will…

642. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures that are in place to ensure that landlords are not placed in a position whereby tenants remain in dwellings deemed unsafe due to defective concrete blocks or where substantial remediation works pose a health and safety risk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37711/26]

643. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the protections and supports available to tenants residing in dwellings affected by defective concrete blocks where remediation works require temporary or permanent vacation of the property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37712/26]

644. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if specific guidance has issued, or is planned to issue, to landlords, tenants and the Residential Tenancies Board regarding the interaction between tenancy protections introduced from 1 March 2026 and the operation of the defective concrete blocks grant scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37…

645. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will bring forward the necessary regulations that will allow for side-by-side construction of homes under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme to allow some families to remain in their defective home while a new home is built on an adjacent site. [37729/26]

646. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update for defective concrete blocks regulations for side-by-side construction; when they will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37734/26]

647. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of defective concrete block grant recipients that have applied for the increased remediation option grant in each county that the grant scheme operates; the number of those recipients who have been awarded the maximum 10% increase; the number in each county who have received less than the 10% and thos…

649. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on recent developments at an organisation (details supplied); and if he is satisfied that the funding provided by his Department is being managed in an appropriate manner. [37772/26]

650. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current planning laws regarding the development of quarries; the plans to reform these; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37817/26]

651. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of reports received by the NPWS concerning alleged unlawful habitat destruction in each of the years 2021 to 2026 to date; the number of incidents inspected or investigated; the number that proceeded to enforcement action or prosecution; and a breakdown of data by region. [37922/26]

652. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for details of any geographical areas that are currently without locally funded NPWS posts, as well as funded but not filled NPWS posts, for conservation ranger, district conservation officer and regional manager roles or equivalent; the length of time each area has been without such a post; if there are temporar…

653. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for details of the most recent date on which any NPWS posts in geographical areas currently without locally funded posts, or sanctioned but unfilled posts were advertised, broken down by region and role, for conservation ranger, district conservation officer and regional manager roles or equivalent; whether each …

341. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department or any bodies and agencies under its aegis use, or have in the past used, software and or products from a company (details supplied); the duration and cost of the contract; and the services they avail of from the company. [35869/26]

Can the Minister provide an updated timeline for the delivery of the retrofit scheme to all social housing units in County Louth? Louth County Council has been very good at delivering on retrofitting and has at times gone beyond its targets. I would like to think that it would be given the facility to get through the entire cohort of social housing units that require to be retrofitted.

I thank the Deputy for his very important question about retrofitting in County Louth. We have put substantial funding into retrofitting and we encourage local authorities to move as quickly as possible with retrofitting schemes. Where retrofitting works are carried out, it brings extraordinary comfort to families. It also helps to tackle fuel poverty, which is really important as part of our retr…

Louth County Council has one of the longest lists for social housing. It must deal with the issue impacting on every local authority at this point , namely an insufficient amount of money to deal with maintenance needs. I constantly deal with those who work for the council and deal with maintenance. The reality is that from time to time you are robbing Peter to pay Paul and cannot always deliver t…

167. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline a timeframe for the upward revision of social housing qualifying income limits. [37496/26]

First, I fully agree with my committee colleague. In the Minister's consideration of this, it should not just be a question of the limit. When the Minister spoke about this at committee before, he was also looking at possibly linking the eligibility thresholds to some metric, and I have given that some thought since the committee meeting. Given that social housing is typically for a set percentage…

I again thank the Minister for that. I am encouraged by his words. I ask that this happen as quickly as possible. If a broader review is required, the Minister might increase the limits initially while that review is undertaken, because as public representatives we are all dealing with people who are on very low incomes but find themselves outside the limits. It is a disincentive to work; that is …

I will carry out this review as quickly as possible, or certainly the initial one on the limits, and then we can look at a deeper review. On the disregards, one of the agencies did an assessment of these and they were quite inconsistent across the various local authorities as to what is or is not allowed as a disregard, which can lead to significant variations in who can or cannot get onto a list…

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 Albert Dolan - To discuss the pricing of train tickets between Athenry and Galway. Deputy Joanna Byrne - To discuss the need for the Drogheda north train station. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the rising costs of living for ho…

I find some of those responses incredibly interesting. When Sinn Féin suggested that ending the temporary protection directive should include provision for a voluntary return scheme, members of the Government absolutely pilloried both my party and me personally for even suggesting that. It now appears that this is going to be part of the Minister's plan. Likewise, when it comes to the ARP and the …

I thank the Deputy for his question. It certainly is the Government's objective in the programme for Government to recruit 5,000 more gardaí during its term. We certainly want to achieve the objectives set out in David McRedmond's report that there would be 1,000 more gardaí for Dublin. This is very much dependent on resources and the numbers that come into An Garda Síochána. I also have to be con…

I remain committed to recommendation number four. I want to see an extra 1,000 gardaí in Dublin. However, the Deputy was in government as well. He knows that things do not just happen with a click of the fingers or overnight. In order to get 1,000 new gardaí into the force in Dublin, I need to recruit them nationally. That cannot happen overnight. I am sure the Deputy can appreciate the challenges…

I thank the Deputy very much for her question. I am committed to trying to ensure that the situation that operates at present, where counselling notes are routinely provided to the legal team of an accused, comes to an end. I brought forward proposals to the version of the miscellaneous provisions Bill on Second Stage and I am going to come forward with even further amendments in terms of that leg…

The challenge is that if everything is a priority then nothing is a priority. I have 11 headings under TAMS and I have to try to manage that. It is the targeted agricultural measures scheme. When demand far outstrips supply something has to give. On that basis it felt fair to me that a residential house be taken out as opposed to farming activity. The intensive energy user on a farm benefited most…

No, I do not accept it. Of course, Deputy Doherty wants people to give up hope and to give up on this country because his politics thrives on that negativity and divisiveness. However, the people are much more reasonable than him. They know we are building more homes than the EU average. They know that Ireland delivered the strongest rate of new housing completions across 19 countries in the EU in…

Are there by-elections on, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle? Sorry - I will certainly respect the rules of the House and take that point, but I also take the serious point the Deputy made because it is a serious issue. There are people feeling hurt today and we have to acknowledge that. I feel very strongly that we have to facilitate – the Deputy suggested ways we could do this and it is worth exploring th…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this legislation. I thank the Minister and his officials for bringing it forward. This is a largely technical Bill. It updates the Industrial Development Acts and modernises the powers of the IDA and Enterprise Ireland. It removes an outdated restriction in the Science and Technology Act 1987 and introduces a number of sensible miscellaneous provisions on con…

I welcome the chance to speak on this Bill because I can see the logic in the State being prepared for the way industry, technology, national security and environmental concerns are changing. I take on board what the Government said about this Bill giving our enterprise agencies the flexibility to operate in a globalised system that is more competitive, more AI enhanced and more security sensitive…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Canney. I have no doubt the response from the Department will outline the rich history of the old rocket house station and the importance of the Coast Card to our coastal communities in north Wexford and south Wicklow. As the Minister of State comes from a coastal county, he is very appreciative of the work of…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I start by welcoming the many people who have come into the Gallery this evening to observe this debate. They are people who have been marching and protesting in some cases for decades or many years. Members of the Palestinian community are here to observe this and see how the Government is going to respond to it. I commend the Ireland Palestine …

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 Joe Cooney - To discuss the need for a statutory community engagement standard. Deputy Emer Currie - To discuss the need for regulation of loot boxes and chance-based microtransactions in video games in view of their similarities to…

I thank the Minister of State. Every one of us in this House knows of a local project, very often an energy project, in respect of which communities were angry about how developers engaged with them, or about whether they engaged with them at all. Instead of constantly dealing with these disputes, should we not create a clear set of standards that every public and private body must follow, whether…

I am proud today to support my party leader, Deputy Holly Cairns, in this Bill to implement much-needed changes to legislation governing terminations of pregnancies. There is a worthwhile history lesson we should remember in this debate. The people of this Republic made their decision on access to abortion care in 2018 by an overwhelming majority in the affirmative. Many opposed to this Bill will …

Yet, there was an argument before this House that does not remark on the tragedy of the loss of 10,000 human lives. The argument is that there is too much time to hesitate and we must remove that time. If the position of the Social Democrats is a moral certainty, then the question for it is why is it afraid of three days? That is three days for reflection, three days for people to speak to their f…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. This is an issue that evokes deeply held and personal views across Irish society and it is important that we approach it with sensitivity, compassion and respect for differing opinions. There will be strongly held views expressed in this debate, and I respect that. However, I believe as legislators that we have a responsibility to carefully c…

I, too, am opposing this Bill. I recently listened to the leader of the Social Democrats speaking on RTÉ radio about the importance of listening to women's abortion experiences. I want to ask Deputy Cairns this question directly today. Before bringing forward this Bill to abolish the three-day wait and widen the grounds for late-term abortions, did she accept or ignore the request to meet women wh…