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738. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding any buildings operated and owned by his Department that have solar panels in place to support the energy demands of the building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30846/26]

739. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason the Government is not represented at the Public Planning Inquiry in Omagh into the Curraghinalt (Dalradian) Project, the proposed gold mine in County Tyrone given the profound cross-Border implications of the matter. [30874/26]

740. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will ensure that an owner management company cannot prevent an owner of a duplex home, with their own roof and attic from installing solar panels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30882/26]

741. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether fire service personnel who assist in cross-Border co-operation in the 26 counties can receive recognitions/awards in this State. [30898/26]

742. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the current and upcoming funding streams available under his Department and associated bodies for the conservation, restoration and protection of built and archaeological heritage sites; if he will outline the application processes, eligibility criteria and assessment procedures for such schemes;…

743. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); to clarify the policy changes in relation to the criteria for the capital advance leasing facility scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30938/26]

745. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being undertaken in order that householders in the Fingal County Council jurisdiction whose homes have pyrite can get financial support with the remediation of those homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30977/26]

746. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the awards or recognition that can be presented to members of the Fire Service; and whether any of these can be presented to those working in the Northern Fire Service who engage in cross-Border operations. [31029/26]

808. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether consideration has been given to expanding access to legal representation for Irish citizens in areas currently excluded or limited, including housing disputes and tribunal-based matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29660/26]

1040. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the additional in-house public system capacity, measured in theatre sessions, outpatient clinics, or equivalent activity, that is planned to replace activity currently delivered through third-party insourcing; and the timelines for delivery of this capacity.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29808/26]

1043. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a comparative cost-effectiveness analysis has been conducted between third-party insourcing, outsourcing via schemes such as the National Treatment Purchase Fund, and direct in-house provision; and if so, if she will provide a summary of findings. [29811/26]

139. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions being taken to address the issues raised by a group (details supplied) concerning ageing parents who continue to provide full-time care to adult children with intellectual disabilities, particularly in relation to planned supported housing and unmet need; and if she will make a statement on the matter…

154. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality how her Department is working with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Health, as well as local authorities and the HSE, to ensure that adults with intellectual disabilities can access homes that meet their needs within their own communities; and if she will make a statement…

155. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if a formal cross-departmental structure is in place between her Department, the Department of Health and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to support the delivery of residential placements for persons with intellectual disabilities in north Dublin; the timelines or targets in place in relati…

178. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the level of capital funding allocated in each of the past five years, and planned for the coming three years, to support the delivery of small-scale community based housing for persons with intellectual disabilities, both at a national level and, specifically, for the north Dublin area; and if she will make a stat…

202. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will examine the way to make the large number of unused childcare facilities built as part of housing developments viable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29188/26]

216. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which his Department plans to address construction labour force shortfalls and the impact that will have on housing delivery; if he will consider a State construction company to increase investment in training and apprenticeships, attract skilled labour home from abroad and an e…

231. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the measures being taken to address projected construction-sector labour shortages over the coming years, in order to ensure that national housing and infrastructure delivery targets remain achievable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17540/26]

266. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an outline of the key measures in the Careers in Construction Action Plan that will promote housing construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22094/26]

399. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant homes in the State that are valued at more than one million euro; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29277/26]

400. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage the measures residents can take if they are not satisfied with a property managing agent and/or the owners management company in a residential development whereby they are being invoiced for enhancement works that are not being carried out; and whether he plans to bring forward future guidelines and/or regulations…

401. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his Department's definition of vacant and dereliction for homes. [29329/26]

407. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage to advise if the Vacant Above the Shop Grant will be made available to micro companies to ensure the widest take-up of this initiative to ensure it is a success, ensuring new and small businesses are not locked out of providing much needed accommodation in rural towns, especially in towns where there is a lot …

408. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason for delays in the processing of land registration applications, including amendments relating to boundary errors; the reason requests to expedite such applications are now accepted only from legal representatives; if he is aware of the additional legal costs to applicants as well as the impact these …

420. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will conduct an immediate management audit following the latest reports of repeated breaches of house rules related to public intoxication and aggressive behaviour in Saggart village; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29440/26]

I want to deal with the issue of detention of unaccompanied minors which has been presented in very emotive way in the House. I need to be clear about the circumstances when it will apply because to listen in to this debate you would think the detention of unaccompanied minors could happen in a haphazard or capricious way but that is not the case. Let us look at what is provided for in section 24.…

I do understand, Deputy, that there are those, like your good self, among us who have plenty of energy and so on. The Deputy will recall that was discussed by a previous Government and Cabinet. I will engage with the Minister for justice and ask him where that legislation lies. As the Deputy knows, there have been different views across the House on how far the legislation is going. Some wanted th…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Notwithstanding the fact that we have seen a reduction in suicide numbers between 2001 and 2025 by 28%, we have not seen the same reduction in suicide numbers in the Travelling community. Where once we ranked one of the worst in Europe, we now sit at about 12th. We will have a new strategy in place very soon - the connecting for life strategy. T…

I would think Deputy Tóibín would pay tribute what the former Deputy and Minister, Noel Dempsey, did for road safety. He was a singularly impactful Minister in that regard. He saved a lot of lives, even though many in the House at the time disagreed with him on the measures he took. Deputy O'Hara spoke about wind energy guidelines. I will engage with the Minister. I am hoping he will have those b…

A serious structural barrier has emerged in the transition to electric vehicles, EVs, that Government policy is yet to confront. Large numbers of people, particularly those in apartments, terraced houses and rented accommodation, have no driveway and, under current circumstances, they are precluded from installing a home charger. On-street charging schemes remain extremely limited and subject to i…

Some days it can be 50% of electricity generation in this country. The Deputy knows that too but that is a figure that he will never reference. Deputy Quaide raised the transition to EVs. He has left the House. Members keep going around in circles because on another day, they support proposals where people do not even have cars outside houses at this stage. This is a challenge. There is no easy a…

Ireland's livestock sector is facing one of the most serious health threats it has come across in decades. The arrival of bluetongue in Ireland during the winter season, of all times, is not simply another disease event, it is a direct consequence of climate change, shifting disease patterns and growing biosecurity pressures on farms. Bluetongue was once confined to southern Europe in warmer count…

We are glad to have this debate because it is vital. Many Irish farmers do not really understand the implications of this or how it spreads. We have been told it is caused by midges but I do not think any midges would survive coming from the North to Wexford. How did that happen? Simple questions like that need to be explained. If there is evidence of how it happened or may have spread, the Minis…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for his indulgence. I welcome our guests from Roscommon. I am half a Roscommon man and the way the GAA is going this year, I think I will be a Rossies supporter this season. I want to support what has been said by my Sinn Féin colleagues in respect of ensuring that bluetongue is addressed on an all-Ireland basis. In my view, it is absolutely crazy that we have a …

When big funds enter residential markets with deep pockets and all the tax advantages Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael magicians can conjure up, working families are effectively shut out of their own housing market. Workers, young couples, nurses, teachers, doctors, gardaí, construction workers and so many more simply cannot compete financially with institutional buyers, which can outbid any offer and ab…

As we all know in this House, members of the Irish Defence Forces serve the State at home and overseas in often high-risk and demanding roles. The level of commitment from Defence Forces must be matched by fair and sustainable working conditions. The Minister will be aware Ireland was recently found to be in non-compliance with the European Social Charter as regards the workplace conditions of Iri…

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 Paul Nicholas Gogarty - To discuss preservation of the GAA pitch at St. Mary's Boys' National School, Lucan. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher - To discuss an application for port listing of Killybegs in line with new regulations. Depu…

I completely agree with Deputy Ward as regards his frustration. The last time I raised this issue, a different Minister was present. However, I believe the Minister of State has responsibility it, which is a happy coincidence. The issue in question is section 39 workers. About 50 Northside Home Care Services workers engaged in industrial action during January. They are going to be outside Leinste…

The Minister will be aware that we in the Labour Party gave the action plan a fair wind. We did so because of the absolute dire situation this country faces in terms of infrastructure development, most notably in housing. The kind of economic development we all want to see simply will not happen if we do not address the key concerns we all have around housing provision, renewable energy, transport…

We will be watching this very closely. The reason we gave the report a fair wind was because of the dire situation with infrastructure in the country. According to the IMF and others, our infrastructure is about one third behind comparable countries. Accountability is key because that has been one of the significant missing pieces. The problem is that if it is everyone's responsibility, it is nobo…

That is my problem. It has been consistently raised on the floor of the Dáil that nobody is properly inspecting Dublin Zoo in an independent way. The Minister of State talked about the South American house and play areas. The director also had his house renovated during that Covid period while making appeals to the public for funds. My issue is animal welfare. There is a dog-fighter working as an…

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the OPW and Dublin Zoo in 2025. Payments are made only after the zoo submits its vouched invoices and its works are approved. This ensures compliance with the public grant rules. On the Deputy's last question, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, is responsible for the licensed inspection of the zoo and the oversight of an annual inspecti…

I have a question for the Minister of State on the engagement his Department and the Office of Public Works have had with Dublin City Council in relation to flood risk in north Dublin, coastal overtopping and storm surge impacts. We all saw the devastation that occurred last week. I thank the Minister of State for the work he did in Portrane to protect houses. Houses on the Hole in the Wall beach…

I love the drive of the Deputy when it comes to this matter. He might be a colleague of mine, but if I could get every colleague in the House to go to their local authorities, drive schemes and develop the interim solutions such as those the Deputy is working on in Clontarf, I would be very grateful. We come into the House and blame the OPW and everybody else, but public representatives have a hug…

I thank the Minister of State. I acknowledge that he visited Kerry and Rossbeigh, where I live, and saw for himself the situation there. There will be a public meeting at 6.30 p.m. this evening in the Towers Hotel. The Minister of State also visited Cromane where homes have been destroyed in the past. I have been in houses when there was 3 ft of saltwater in them. In 2015, I was a member of a dep…

I thank Deputy Neville. In December 2025, the Government published the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan. It is a comprehensive programme of actions designed to speed up the delivery of critical infrastructure across the State. This action plan responds to well-documented challenges of lengthy development timelines, fragmented processes and rising costs. These have all been identi…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 28, 61, 77 and 83 together. My Department will be managing the monitoring and reporting on delivery of the actions in the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan, which will be led within the infrastructure division. The action plan details 30 headline actions for delivery by quarter and sets target outputs and outcomes to be achieved. All lead Depa…

I mí an Mheithimh 2024, scríobh an Tánaiste faoi mholadh cánach do thithe atá ag teastáil ó cheannaitheoirí céaduaire. Dúirt sé nach féidir cur suas leis agus thug sé gealltanas nach dtarlóidh seo arís, ach ar aghaidh go dtí i mbliana 2026 agus ceisteanna curtha air, dheimhnigh sé go raibh 293 teach bulc-cheannaithe díreach anuraidh ag creach-chistí agus tiarnaí talún corparáideacha. An nglacann a…

I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for raising this very important issue. I will begin where he began by absolutely acknowledging that the priority in all of our discussions, and I know this is something we all share a view on, must be, is and must remain the children and their parents. Deputy O'Callaghan did not do so, but it is often easy to talk about reports and everything else in this House. We are t…

-----if you object to a house, Deputy O'Reilly does too. I know Mary Lou does. If you object to houses, and I have never objected-----