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394. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the expected timeline for the introduction of new planning exemptions currently under consideration; when draft regulations will be published; and whether stakeholders, including industry practitioners, will be consulted in advance of implementation. [36434/26]

395. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will confirm, following remarks by the Taoiseach (details supplied), that it is the policy of his Department and the policy of Government to eventually eliminate all planning authorisations for the commercial extraction of peat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36462/26]

396. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will introduce targeted supports for practising thatchers, including grant schemes or heritage-craft stipends, to ensure the continued maintenance of Ireland’s thatched buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36467/26]

397. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a breakdown of spending on advertising which was funded or overseen by his Department, and bodies under its aegis, in each of the past five, including a breakdown by medium that is radio, television, social media, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36493/26]

398. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on when responsibility for property services and estate agents will be transferred to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36499/26]

697. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Health Service Executive has examined the potential use of vacant residential properties for step-down care, staff accommodation, social housing partnerships or emergency accommodation purposes. [36261/26]

703. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Health Service Executive has conducted any assessment of the potential housing capacity represented by currently vacant residential properties within its estate portfolio; and if she will provide details of same. [36267/26]

101. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether representation for the disability service providers is provided for on the disability steering groups within each County Council; in particular, whether representation is provided for section 39A providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35749/26]

103. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a copy of the promised 'An Overview of Local Authorities Differential Rent Schemes and Rent Reviews', which was due to be published early this year by the Value for Money Unit, Local Government Audit Service. [35456/26]

104. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will raise the income thresholds for the affordable home purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35461/26]

105. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for Local Government when he will publish the report from the Local Government Taskforce. [35531/26]

106. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the spending, by year, to date on the Dublin Inner City Taskforce including projects funded by the initiative or because of it, in tabular form. [35532/26]

111. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline Ireland's intended position on any forthcoming EU REACH Committee votes concerning restrictions on the manufacture, sale, importation or use of lead ammunition; if consideration has been given to the potential implications for lawful countryside and conservation activity uses; and if he will make a s…

136. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total amount paid in respect of St John's House IPAS accommodation centre in Cookstown, Tallaght, for each of the past five years (2021-2025). [35525/26]

138. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the names of the companies or entities contracted to provide IPAS accommodation services at (i) Citywest, (ii) Red Cow, (iii) Crooksling, and (iv) St John's House Cookstown. [35527/26]

151. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration following incidents involving breaches of house rules or behavioural issues in IPAS accommodation centres in each of the past five years, the number of individuals that were issued warnings, relocated to another centre, had reception conditions amended or had accommodation withdrawn entirely; and to provide a brea…

159. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the legislation under which his Department can acquire residential houses to be used to accommodate persons in need of emergency accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35665/26]

92. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Housing will next meet. [28757/26]

93. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Housing will meet next. [30468/26]

157. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the engagement he has had with University College Cork and Munster Technological University Cork on the housing crisis and the impact on student accommodation in Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34346/26]

480. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he is aware that under Building Momentum that 3% was set aside for local bargaining; the reason his Department is blocking political staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas from local bargaining despite the 2022 agreement which linked staff to public service pay agreeme…

528. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of public houses, broken down by county, that applied for and were granted Increased Cost of Business and Power Grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35275/26]

529. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to provide details on the number of public houses, by county, that applied for and have been granted various Local Enterprise Office Grants in 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35276/26]

664. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the implementation of the EU Birds and Habitats Directive; to detail any enforcement or infringement communications received from the EU on this; to confirm if Ireland is on track to meet these targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34568/26]

665. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will confirm that the Commission for Regulation of Utilities already has the legal authority to set enforceable statutory timeframes for Uisce Éireann to issue connection offers and complete connection works; if he will direct the CRU to introduce maximum time limits in line with European norms; and if …

This is not good enough. This motion we are talking about today calls on Government to fund Dublin City Council's proposed retrofit and regeneration in inner-city flat complexes and to put the views and the needs of the strong, vibrant, long-standing inner city communities at the centre of this policy, like the people we see here in the Public Gallery. They need to be at the heart of this convers…

Dublin City Council is working closely with the Department to determine the best solution for each complex, be that demolition and rebuild resulting in mixed-tenure communities or, where appropriate, deep retrofit and remedial works. Mention has been made of local authority staffing and while it should be noted that the operational responsibility for staff lies with Dublin City Council and the chi…

The absolute neck of the Minister of State reading out that diatribe. He should have addressed his remarks to the people in the Gallery but he would be ashamed. He could not even look them in the face. My God, this makes me so angry. He is dragging people back to tenements. My mam and dad were born in tenement housing in the city centre in Dublin and they left, they moved to the suburbs so that th…

I apologise that I could not be here earlier. We were dealing with the ambulance strike due to take place next Tuesday so I missed the earlier contributions. I do not know who wrote the Government's countermotion this morning but the people sitting around the Cabinet table who signed off on it this afternoon and the person who wrote this have their heads in the clouds. Everything in the Government…

I listened to the Minister of State's contribution earlier. My only hope is that he did not write it himself because I cannot describe it as anything other than obnoxious. It was a gaslighting of communities, some of which I am sure are in the Gallery this evening and are living in conditions nothing short of inhumane. The response from Government was "carry on" because things are good and it will…

I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak on this issue. I know I am not the only TD who has been contacted by parents who want to pass a property from one generation to the next. At its heart, this is not about tax breaks for the wealthy; it is about fairness, stability and the ability of ordinary families to plan their futures without being overwhelmed by financial pressures that are, in ma…

The cost of running a house for one person is the same as the cost of running it for two people, especially in relation to heating and maintenance. That is where I am coming from in relation to the fuel allowance for the over-70s. There is that huge additional cost. I recall dealing with one man whose basic allowance was the old age pension. His wife died. The income was cut in half but the cost o…

In budget 2026, we introduced record increases in the child support payment, which are making a direct impact for families as shown by the figures I have provided. In relation to a targeted child benefit payment, I want to announce to the House that I am introducing a public consultation, opening next Tuesday, 5 May, and look forward to the input of Members of the House around that. It will be al…

Of course, the Government has not waited to act. It has introduced what is either the largest or second largest package of supports in the EU. It was announced on the floor of this House around two weeks ago, and I am pleased to say it is having an impact. While diesel and petrol prices are still too high, people have seen them lower at the pumps than they were before the intervention. People see …

I thank Deputy Coppinger for raising this issue and this case again, and I say that sincerely. I know the intense and constructive ways in which she has been engaging to try to support this student. I say that before I say the next piece, which is I am genuinely not 100% sure how to answer this question, for the reason that I am conscious, based on what she has told me now and what she has said pr…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue with the housing assistance payment. As he rightly says, the law is clear about people not being able to refuse a tenant on the basis of HAP. He is also right to highlight the fact that there are sometimes people trying to skirt the law in this regard. I will bring those comments to the attention of the Minister for housing. The second issue he raised abou…

I was calling round to people's houses in Dublin Central the other night and met a woman who said to me "Everything's going up. My rent is going up" - she is a Dublin City Council tenant - "The price of petrol is going up. Groceries are going up. Everything is going up except for my wages." She is right. Statistically, that is the case. Prices are up almost a quarter over the past five years and p…

People power works. That is the lesson of the protests. When people get out and protest, and organise and mobilise, they can force a Government that is failing them to make concessions. Trump's war means every single working person in the world is paying an economic price for Trump's blood lust, his imperialism and his support for the Israeli regime. We are all paying now. People who supported Tru…

This is a rip-off Government. The price of petrol, diesel, home heating oil, electricity, groceries, rents, house prices and childcare are all sky-high. The Government plays a significant role in jacking up the prices on all of those. It is hitting families really hard. I know of parents who are lying awake at night trying to work out what bill they are going to be able to pay. People on good wage…

I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, on whose behalf I am closing this debate, for outlining the detail of the road transporters support scheme to the House. This scheme is vital to support our overall economy and trade. It is vital to support the businesses that will receive support under the scheme. That is essential when it comes to ensuring continuity…

Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Teachta. I congratulate Deputy Neville and the school communities. I know that he attended one of the schools. I am sure this is a big day for both he Deputy and the school communities. I thank him for raising this issue and for his strong and consistent advocacy on behalf of families in Leixlip. I know he worked very closely with the school community on this issue. H…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which provides an opportunity to outline the position of the Office of Public Works, OPW, in regard to the potential acquisition of the Martello tower at Sandymount Strand, although I would suggest that there are other State bodies, Departments and local authorities that will have an interest in this matter. At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the sign…

I thank the Deputy. I agree. The fact that this is a registered national monument that is located in a UNESCO biosphere on, as the Deputy put it, the oasis that is Dublin Bay, this does represent a unique opportunity now that it is for sale. To reiterate, the OPW does not have plans to acquire the tower, but it is standing ready to engage constructively with relevant stakeholders, where appropriat…

The Government recognises that conversations on issues like this lead to more specific discussion and engagement, North and South, about constitutional change more broadly, as provided for under the Good Friday Agreement. That is why we are not opposing this Bill and why we want to have this debate in this Chamber. However, I do not appreciate some of the comments the Deputy has made in his remark…

I thank Deputy Gogarty for the opportunity to address this most serious issue. I thank the Minister for the pending reforms of the family court system. It is overdue and most welcome. I commend Anna Kavanagh and Dr. Finbar Markey who have done tremendous work, both supporting and documenting the plight of parents trying to navigate a complex and oftentimes inhumane system. I am sorry I missed the …

I will make this point to the Deputy. Thirty-six thousand houses were built last year. Supply is the key here. Labour keeps opposing measures that will add supply. The Deputy talks about an eviction ban. She said it would slow down homelessness. It would slow down supply, and did slow down supply. Be in no doubt that supply is the key. We need to get to 50,000 houses a year.

-----and we need to build more houses. Labour's policies would actually reduce housing supply. There is no question.

Being from west Cork, I absolutely understand the importance of tourism in the area I grew up working in local cafés and restaurants that rely on the influx of tourists in the summer. What those businesses and local schools, post offices and everything else also rely on is locals - people living in the area and workers in the area. This is about getting the balance right. The balance at the moment…

The sum of €293 million has been provided this year alone for the remediation of homes affected by defects including pyrite, apartment defects and defective concrete blocks. The pace has accelerated, in particular over the past two years. There was €155 million spent in 2025, compared with just under €60 million in 2024. As the scheme ramps up, more sufficient additional funding will be provided a…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and I will pass on his good comments in respect of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, about what is happening in the midlands and the energy transformation that is occurring. Recently, I was in Shannonbridge myself with Hanwha Energy to launch the battery storage and the condenser, which is a very novel proposal. There is no doubt that the midlands is go…