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242. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the legislation for the remediation scheme for buildings with celtic tiger era defects will be published. [27731/26]

243. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the NPWS is investigating the reported use of an acoustic deterrent device in a bay in County Clare inhabited by a resident dolphin; whether any licence has been sought or granted for its use; the protections and guidance in place regarding the deployment of such devices in Irish coastal waters; and…

244. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether consideration has been given to developing a single national platform or framework for parking rules, information and payment systems to improve clarity and ease of use for the public and visitors (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27761/26]

245. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of emergency accommodation facilities currently in use nationwide; the proportion of these facilities that have been inspected in the past 12 months; the body or bodies responsible for carrying out such inspections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27835/26]

246. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the standards and regulations governing emergency accommodation; the mechanisms in place to ensure compliance with these standards; the number of facilities found to be non-compliant in the past two years; the nature of such non-compliance; the actions taken in response; and if he will make a statement on t…

247. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the frequency with which emergency accommodation facilities are inspected; whether inspections are announced or unannounced; the number of inspections carried out in each of the past three years; the outcomes of these inspections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27837/26]

248. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the procedures in place for residents of emergency accommodation to make complaints; the bodies responsible for handling such complaints; the number of complaints received in each of the past three years; the average time taken to resolve such complaints. [27838/26]

249. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the oversight mechanisms in place to monitor the quality of emergency accommodation; whether independent audits are conducted; the steps being taken to improve transparency and accountability in the provision of such accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27839/26]

250. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the enforcement actions available where emergency accommodation providers fail to meet required standards; whether any providers have had contracts suspended or terminated due to non-compliance; the details of such cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27840/26]

251. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authorities that have a dedicated ‘Local Authority Renewable Strategy or Wind Energy Strategy’ as part of their County Development Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27091/26]

252. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a qualification achieved in a university (details supplied) meets the requirements for the criteria outlined for senior executive engineers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27863/26]

253. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a formal risk reassessment to be carried out in Naas Fire Station by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27866/26]

254. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether consideration will be given to a full-time or day-manned service at Naas Fire Station; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27867/26]

255. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether consideration will be given to increased funding and resourcing for fire services in north Kildare, given the constituency’s rapid growth and increasing demand on such services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27868/26]

112. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Housing will next meet. [15024/26]

113. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Housing will next meet. [22083/26]

114. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Housing will next meet. [22118/26]

261. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on an inappropriate use of an acoustic device, with implications for animal welfare ( details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27691/26]

262. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when and the progress that has been made with regard to the boundary changes passed for local government local electoral wards. [27419/26]

263. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the use of hemp-based construction materials, including hempcrete, has been assessed as part of sustainable building strategies; if any pilot schemes or supports exist for its development in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27546/26]

264. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 680 of 20 January 2026, whether there is an update on the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme as the payment period concludes for many applicants; if a replacement support is being considered; if so, the details of any such support or supports; and if he will ma…

265. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when OMCs that have applied for payment under the interim fire safety scheme will receive funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27683/26]

266. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when a compensation scheme for OMCs with apartment defects will be available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27684/26]

267. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will examine the case of a person (details supplied); if he will advise if this person is entitled to claim a pension on retirement at 58 years-of-age; if the person is also entitled to claim a supplementary pension; if so the amount this will be; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27687/26…

268. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that fire fighters who transferred from the retained service to Dublin Fire Brigade were entitled to buy service for pension purposes at the time of transfer; if he is aware of any scheme or mechanism for full time fire fighters to purchase this service retrospectively; and if he will make a st…

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I wish to briefly underline the importance of apprenticeships in the context of the very significant investment the Government is making in infrastructure and housing. If we are serious about delivering on our housing targets, retrofitting programmes, transport projects and wider public capital investment, we must ensure we have a strong and sustainable…

To pick up on Deputy Smith's remarks about Queen's University and Dundalk Institute of Technology, I had a meeting on it as recently as yesterday. I am really excited about it. Going back to the wider question, I will do everything in the programme for Government to the best of my ability but I will do other things. The Queen's University and Dundalk Institute of Technology merger was not in the p…

Just over a year ago, the Tánaiste promised voters 41,000 homes in his party's election manifesto. Just weeks before the election, the Government promised the delivery of 41,000 homes in 2025. The Government failed to meet the target it set for itself by almost 5,000 homes, and the Tánaiste is dressing up this failure as some sort of success. The Government is presiding over a situation where ren…

According to the Central Bank, we need 50,000 to 60,000 houses a year in order for the Government to meet its 2030 targets. There is not a hope in hell of reaching the housing need that has been agreed on by many bodies, including the Government.

We opposed it, and we got the social housing. We said there should be more social and affordable housing, and we got the 100% because we opposed it.

I thank Deputy Tóibín for raising the issue and asking the questions. First, I just want to be conscious in my own comments that there are still weather warnings in place in our country. The weather event that many communities are experiencing is still ongoing, with particular warnings for Dublin, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow and Waterford. There is more rain forecast over the coming days an…

I thank Deputy Collins for how he has raised the issue. It is important we tease through this carefully. I think we would all agree there is a need to make sure we get the best use out of the housing stock that exists in our country, particularly in a housing emergency. We all share that view. We do not want an unintended consequence. This is not about going into small rural communities where they…

The number of houses in Mayo represents 3% of the overall national housing stock. Despite this, according to a recent GeoDirectory report, the proportion of dereliction in Mayo represents 14% of the national rate. That is extraordinary. Dereliction is a scourge on our towns and blight on our communities. Many homes have been abandoned for decades and have essentially been left to rodents and bats.…

I welcome this legislation and acknowledge the hard work of officials in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. I know the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Foley, will recognise that work as well. Work on this Bill has been ongoing for some time. I was involved in some of the drafting work relating to the Bill when I was in the Department. I hope that it transits quickly th…

Across Louth and other affected counties, Uisce Éireann teams are still actively responding to the impact of the storm to triage incidents, to prioritise safety-critical interventions and to ensure that essential services remain operational. The exact cause of specific flood incidents observed in parts of Dundalk remain unclear. Multiple factors, including ground saturation, river level fluctuatio…

I raise the proposed development of an equine therapy centre at the Toghermore House site located in Tuam. Toghermore House is owned by the HSE. It previously hosted a number of mental health support services until these services were relocated to a separate facility in Tuam in 2023. Since the relocation of these services, there have been proposals to develop the site, along with its over 40 acres…

l thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am responding on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, who is fully committed to providing the necessary supports for people with disabilities throughout the country, including those in Galway. I advise the Deputy that the Toghermore House site at Tuam, which is owned and operated by the HSE, is under review. In 2024, a HSE feasibi…

I thank the Taoiseach for his kind words about the late Brian O’Shea. That is appreciated. I did have to laugh when the Taoiseach used the word “incoherent” about my contribution. It is his housing policy that is incoherent. It is his measures on renters that are incoherent. Let me give him two examples. In Galway this week, with our Councillor Helen Ogbu, I heard about students renting Monday to…

There is a very famous poem, which I am sure the Taoiseach knows, by Pastor Martin Niemöller, "First They came". It begins: First they came for the communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a communist Then it says: I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then it is a trade unionist, then a Jew. Of course, eventually there was nobody left to speak out. It is easily tran…

People on the other side of the House were sneaking regarders of the Maduro regime. It always strikes me as extraordinary that the main Opposition party attended his inauguration. That is the difference in the House here. Let us be under no illusions.

I want to begin by paying tribute to Grace Lynch. Grace was a strikingly beautiful young woman with her whole life ahead of her who was taken far too soon. My heart goes out to her family, particularly her mother, who is determined to ensure action follows this awful tragedy. Nothing we in this House can say can lessen the loss, but we owe it to Grace and to communities across our city and countr…

Storm Chandra brought absolute chaos to parts of Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow yesterday. Homes and businesses were destroyed and there was commuter hell for thousands of people left sitting on the M1, the M50 and the N11 for four or five hours in traffic. The reality is that these storms are going to come more often and will be more severe. We need to be better prepared. The Minister for housing m…

The Taoiseach says time and again that housing is the number one issue for this Government, and he accepts that there is a housing crisis. Notices to quit are on the increase in every county, including mine, Waterford. Last week, I met with three families, all of which have children, who received notices to quit. They are very worried and stressed about having to find alternative accommodation, wh…

Actually, the Government brought in the tenant in situ scheme and provided substantial funding. In some areas - I am not saying in Waterford - the scheme broadened and was used by local authorities for investments that should never have occurred. We had cases where some local authorities were spending €50,000 to €60,000 on the refurbishment of houses. The whole purpose of the tenant in situ scheme…

Following Storm Chandra in the past few days, many homes around the country have been destroyed. I have stood in this Chamber previously asking about flood alleviation and what will be done in terms of planning. As I told the House on those occasions, I have personal experience, with my German family, of the effects of flooding. Four years later, things are not great from a building perspective bu…

The Government's plans are an admission of a profound failure on the part of successive Governments that consistently failed to co-ordinate and deliver. In County Meath, the Government's legacy is one of broken promises. We have unaffordable housing without adequate water and wastewater infrastructure in Dunboyne, Duleek, Kells and elsewhere. Communities in Ashbourne, Ratoath, Kells and elsewhere …

Every week we come into this Chamber and we discuss infrastructure. It might always be the title of the debate but Ireland's infrastructural deficit lies behind so many of the problems we discus every day. Whether we are talking about flooding, commuter chaos or housing, what is really under discussion is the consistent failure of the Government to build and sustain the infrastructure that Ireland…

I am Vice Chair of the infrastructure committee. I know the Minister will be coming to the committee later on and we may be able to discuss some of these topics in detail. I welcome the national development plan of €102 billion, which is a huge amount of money to spend. Ultimately, we are only playing catch-up on the money that probably should have been spent in previous years. The percentage tha…

The N80 goes through the town centres of Portlaoise and Mountmellick. It is causing chaos in both towns and no progress is being made on relief roads. Mountmellick relief road was promised 20 years ago. All traffic from the midlands and the west, including a large number of HGVs, is going through the town centre of Mountmellick trying to negotiate tricky junctions, going through O'Connell Square a…

As the Leas-Cheann Comhairle knows, I have some experience of being angry and losing my rag but it has to be used sparingly. In this context, I would use words like "exasperation", "frustration", "cynicism" and "being jaded overall" in terms of Government promises that have never been brought forward. I am, therefore, trying to put on my positive hat for a second. Obviously, this plan is trying t…