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582. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the implementation of the Waterways Ireland Climate Action Plan 2030 and in particular the progress on Key Result 4.3 relating to the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and active travel options for employees and waterway users, to be achieved by the end of 2026. [28630/26…

584. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of the affordable and purchase homes delivered in 2025, by delivery stream including, AHP local authority delivery, AHP turnkey, AHB cost rental direct delivery, AHB cost rental turnkey, LDA cost rental direct delivery, LDA turnkey, in tabular form; and the average cost of delivery for each stream …

585. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the implementation of the Lower Shannon Fish Passage Initiative; the stage implementation is at; if there is an implementation plan published and a timeframe for the implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28636/26]

586. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department is considering a new phase of supports for existing cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme applicants, as per correspondence issued to applicants; the stage this consideration is at; when applicants will be informed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28648/26]

587. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration has been given to extending the mandatory retirement age to 62 to members of the retained fire service; if he can provide details of any analysis or costings that have been carried out on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28649/26]

588. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress made on each of the individual Programme for Government commitments assigned to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28661/26]

589. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications received, approved and refused under the domestic waste water treatment system grant scheme, in each local authority, in each of the past ten years, by local authority, in tabular form. [28698/26]

590. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total amount of funding approved and amount paid under the domestic wastewater treatment system grant scheme in each local authority, in each of the past ten years, by local authority, in tabular form. [28699/26]

591. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average grant amount approved under the domestic wastewater treatment system grant scheme in each local authority, in each of the past ten years, by local authority, in tabular form. [28700/26]

592. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of inspections of domestic wastewater treatment systems carried out in each local authority; and the number of those inspections which identified systems requiring repair, upgrade or replacement, in each of the past ten years, by local authority, in tabular form. [28701/26]

593. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of inspectors engaged in the inspection of domestic wastewater treatment systems in each local authority, in each of the past ten years; and to specify whether these figures are whole-time equivalent, by local authority, in tabular form. [28702/26]

594. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of inspections, the grant applications arising, the number of approvals, and the total funding approved under the domestic wastewater treatment system grant scheme in each local authority, under by the following categories, national inspection plan, prioritised areas for action and high status …

595. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the basis on which domestic wastewater treatment systems are selected for inspection; the criteria applied; whether these are set nationally or locally; and whether a written guidance document, circular or protocol governs this process; and if so to provide a copy. [28704/26]

596. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the process and criteria by which areas are designated under the national inspection plan, prioritised areas for action and high-status objective catchment areas; the bodies involved in those decisions; and whether these designations have changed over time. [28705/26]

597. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason householders cannot nominate or request their domestic wastewater treatment system for inspection for the purposes of accessing the domestic waste water treatment system grant scheme; whether consideration has been given to introducing an owner-initiated inspection pathway; and if so, the outco…

598. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has assessed the extent of unmet need under the domestic wastewater treatment system grant scheme arising from the current inspection-led model; whether estimates exist of defective systems not captured by the inspection regime; and whether he considers the current model equitable a…

606. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will investigate a case (details supplied) where a landlord has been housing a Ukrainian couple since November 2024 under the accommodation and recognition payment, but has never received any payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28266/26]

841. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has a strategic plan to reduce reliance on private ambulance providers and increase in-house capacity, and if so, to outline the timeline and targets. [28181/26]

924. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht his plans to support housing for families in Gaeltacht areas in County Meath, namely, Baile Ghib; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28085/26]

149. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if there are plans to maintain the grant system for new solar panels in domestic houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27699/26]

164. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will provide the most up-to-date estimate of the total financial liability the State faces between now and 2030 for failing to meet EU greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Effort Sharing Regulation; if he will specify from which existing departmental budgets or capital projects these multi-billion euro…

237. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress being made to support the development of battery power through national planning guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27696/26]

238. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if projects can apply for funding under both the Historic Structures Fund and under the built heritage investment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27712/26]

240. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the interim fire safety remediation scheme for buildings with celtic tiger era defects. [27729/26]

241. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the pilot scheme for retrospective payments for OMCs who have undertaken remediation of celtic tiger era building defects. [27730/26]

We should have a debate about Thomas D'Arcy McGee in this House. As the Minister of State said, there are a lot of learnings to be taken from the complexities of his life from leaving Ireland as a Fenian to being shot on the steps of the Canadian House of Commons by the Fenians. There is a huge circle there. His legacy is hugely celebrated in Canada. As a son of Carlingford, it is important that w…

First, as we are not talking about this weather situation, we are not looking back; we are talking about here and now. I am conscious as we discuss this in the House today that a status orange weather warning is currently in place for counties Dublin, Wicklow, Waterford and now also County Louth. Yellow warnings are in place for nine other counties as well. On top of that, the Road Safety Authorit…

"Who will care for our daughter when we are no longer able to do so? Nobody is able to answer that question." These are the words of Tony Murray, a 71-year-old man from Dublin who is at his wits' end looking for answers. Tony and his wife Susan are full-time carers for their 42-year-old daughter, Aoife, who has an intellectual disability. They are just one of the thousands of families where elderl…

I certainly will. I know Ciarán Cannon well from his past posting in the House. I know him to be a very good and reasonable person and a good, evidence-based advocate. He was in this House and he is in his new role. If there was ever an issue that we should not be partisan on, and it is not in our discussion, it is road safety. We all want to see a reduction in deaths and injuries. I think we are …

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue with me in relation to Skerries and Rush. It is not the first time she has raised it with me and I acknowledge that she represents and is from a community that is in the fastest growing area of the country with one of the youngest populations. She makes this point as we make progress on housing, and I am pleased to see we are making progress on h…

The people in my constituency of Dublin Fingal West wait for up to 14 years in most cases on the Fingal County Council housing list. Some of them are left waiting in overcrowded accommodation, some of them in emergency accommodation, some of them paying eye-wateringly high rents. When a person has a medical condition or a disability, this is often made worse by their housing situation, as I am sur…

This truly is one of the most bizarre Bills I have seen come before the House. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, at a time when families are pinned to their collar by the highest electricity and energy bills and the highest rents in Europe, the Government thinks it a good time to bring forward a Bill that seeks to increase rents even further. Is the Minister aware we are not in a competiti…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Government is acutely aware of, and concerned about, the impact of rising prices on Irish households, and it is also aware of the high cost of energy prices and the wider impact of the cost of doing business for firms, particularly small firms; — in relation to Irish households, th…

The Minister of State listing off the crumbs that were given out by the Government to those who are being crushed by the cost-of-living crisis is utterly meaningless. I thank Deputy Healy for bringing forward this motion, which People Before Profit strongly supports, as it details the absolutely crushing assault on the cost of living for working people, the least well-off, people with disabilities…

I echo the other Deputies' thanks to Deputy Healy for bringing forward this motion. It is very well written and comprehensive. It articulates a lot of what is wrong in the country right now and the cost-of-living crisis. I attended a conference late last year, hosted by the European Council on Social Rights, on the cost-of-living crisis. At that conference, I and many others heard that the bottom …

Could the Government be any less caring on this issue? It has not put forward a solitary meaningful measure. Let us start with the Minister of State's claim that the best way out of poverty is through employment. That absolutely is no longer the case. There are tens of thousands of workers living in poverty because of the cost of living, including the cost of childcare, housing, electricity and in…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. She is right; I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for education. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It gives me an opportunity to set out for the House the position with regard to school infrastructure in Dublin Fingal West on behalf of the Department and the Minister for Education and Youth. I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school pl…

This is an important issue. I would just make the point that significant progress is being made on the housing front. There were 36,000 completions in 2025. That is a significant figure when we compare it with 2019 and 2020, when we were building just about 20,000 per annum. Then Covid-19 intervened for a good two years after that. The measures we have taken in the last 12 months are having an imp…

Who the hell do you think you are? Do you have some moral superiority over everybody else? You do not have moral superiority over anybody else in this House. Everybody in this House is at one in terms of going after anybody who would generate and disseminate child abuse material, and the legislation is there to do that. The State does not get involved in a Garda investigation. Politicians do not …

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I have noted the requests for a debate on flooding and on housing. There will be five hours of housing debate on Second Stage of the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 this week: 204 minutes today and a further 102 minutes tomorrow. It is a two-day sitting. This legislation is really important. We will facilitate discussion on Thursday around fu…

I will alert the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, to this issue because it is a specific one in terms of the approved housing bodies, Sophia Housing and the Department. It is frustrating when a site has been identified and there is the prospect of getting it off. There is a need for a refuge centre in Laois, and I acknowledge that. I will talk to the Minister. Perhaps I will ask him to contact the De…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 22, inclusive, together. The programme for Government, Our Shared Future, sets out a series of ambitious commitments across social, economic and environmental policy. The Department of the Taoiseach's Statement of Strategy 2025-2028 puts the implementation of the programme for Government central to the mission of the Department and the Cabinet committee struc…

Speaking as the mother of two teenagers and one young adult who is renting, I am acutely aware of the pressures within Ireland's rental market currently. To make their way in the world, develop independent living skills and build the relationships that will last throughout their lifetimes, young people need a space they can call their own. Unfortunately, these spaces are becoming increasingly rare…

I rise to support the residential tenancies Bill 2026. I will begin by acknowledging the work of the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, in bringing forward this legislation, which tries to do something Ireland has struggled to do for far too long, that is, strike a fair balance between tenant protection and rental supply. I will say this clearly: we need that balan…

I am not saying it for the camera. I am saying it for the people of west Cork. How dare you insult the people of west Cork? You should not dare open your mouth like that. If you do not know what you are doing, you should not be there at all. How dare you say that? The people of west Cork are going to lose their income. They are crying in my offices. They are crying without a house because the Gove…

I welcome the farmers who have come to see the real Government tonight. They are very welcome to the Dáil Chamber. Here we go again. Hot on the heels of the fake opposition to the Mercosur trade deal, the arrogance of the Government is palpable. The Government will hector and lecture Irish farmers about environmental standards while failing to meaningfully oppose European measures clearly designe…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to discuss a matter of real substance and of real consequence for farmers for this year and from 2028 to 2034. The decisions we make this year and going into next year will be absolutely critical. I look forward to engaging with the Deputy and colleagues on the Oireachtas joint committee and to working in the very collaborative way we have done for the past y…

The Deputy will be aware that I have just concluded a public consultation on my new animal welfare strategy for 2026 to 2030, which I will introduce this year. I thank everybody who made contributions on that. Animal welfare crosses so many different areas. The control of dogs legislation came back in under my Department since last summer with some significant work. I am really happy about that. A…

I absolutely accept the Minister's commitment to these issues. With animal welfare, everyone in this House has something to do with animals, whether they are domestic pets or agricultural animals. I think the prosecutions in the Department focused particularly on agricultural stock, and obviously there is a food safety issue there as much as anything else, but it needs to be expanded to include do…

I am taking this question on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Eoghan Kenny. Will the Minister inform the House of the steps his Department has taken to investigate the significant overspend on the new SUSI IT system, and will he make a statement on the matter to the House?