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1736. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of tenancies granted under the cost rental tenant-in-situ scheme for the past four years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25495/26]

1742. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average waiting time for a first registration of a property on the land register at Tailte Éireann for each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, by the time from first contact to the issue date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25555/26]

1743. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the legislative changes allowed the transfer of public sector service (details supplied); if those who previously served are now eligible to do this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25592/26]

1745. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage if consideration has been given to bring forward amendments to section 254 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, for overground electronic communications infrastructure and associated physical infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25697/26]

1747. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to have Tipperary homeowners with pyrite damage to be included in the pyrite remediation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25711/26]

1748. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the forthcoming planning framework for short term letting will apply in County Mayo, particularly in towns with populations below 10,000; and the discretion Mayo County Council will have in setting local policy. [25727/26]

1750. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which local authorities such as Mayo County Council will be supported to enforce planning requirements relating to short term letting, including staffing, resources, and access to data from the national register. [25729/26]

1751. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the interaction between the new national short term letting register and existing planning enforcement powers will operate in practice in counties with dispersed rural populations such as Mayo. [25730/26]

1753. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of WTE IT specialists at the grade of HEO that are based within his Department as of 30 March 2026, in tabular form. [25733/26]

1754. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason homeowners in County Tipperary remain excluded from the pyrite remediation scheme, while homeowners in other counties including Dublin and Wexford have access to State-funded remediation supports (details supplied); if he has received representations regarding the exclusion of Tipperary homeowners f…

1755. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the funding application for a homeless hub in Cork city. [25766/26]

1756. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list of AI pilot projects which have taken place in his Department within the past three months; the expenditure associated with those projects; and whether they are still ongoing, in tabular form. [25799/26]

1757. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that Dublin City Council is considering removing the exemption from development levies from cost rental developments funded by his Department; and if he is concerned about this proposal given as this would increase development costs and in turn rents to State. [25828/26]

1758. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25829/26]

1759. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 671 of 4 February 2026, the date on which homeowners in County Meath will be able to apply to the defective concrete block scheme; the conditions of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25882/26]

1760. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of first home scheme applications, approvals and drawdowns for every year the scheme has been in operation and to date in 2026 with the total annual expenditure for each year included in the table, in tabular form. [25899/26]

1761. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total expenditure by his Department and the LDA on homes delivered via croí cónaithe cities and project tosaigh; and the breakdown of this information by year, scheme and annual cost for each year since each scheme has been in operation and to date in 2026. [25900/26]

1762. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details on funding given to political parties to increase female participation and diversity in politics, broken down by year and by party and independents from 2019 to date. [25905/26]

1763. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 1015 of 18 March 2026, when the standard operating guidelines referenced came into existence; if a copy of these guidelines can be provided; if training has been provided to each local authority fire service in respect of grid-scale BESS installations; and if he will make a…

1764. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the NDFEM has conducted any specific review of fire service preparedness in County Galway following the Xerotech fire in Claregalway in January 2025, given the concentration of BESS planning applications in that county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25928/26]

1765. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the bodies which operate under his aegis which have a regulatory or enforcement remit which include provision for a person convicted of an offence to receive a fine upon summary conviction, the associated maximum amount and duration of any related potential imprisonment term; provision for a person convicted o…

1766. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to introduce a planning waiver for short-term lets (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25982/26]

1767. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to introduce a planning waiver for short-term lets, (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25983/26]

1768. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to introduce a planning waiver for short-term lets (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25985/26]

1769. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to introduce a planning waiver for short term lets (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25986/26]

I move: That Dáil Éireann shall take note of the Report of the Joint Committee on Health entitled "Report on Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) (Amendment) Bill", copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 9th October, 2025. Tonight we are debating a report published by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health. This was a report we worked on last summer ac…

I thank Deputy Coppinger for bringing forward this important legislation today, which I and the Green Party will be strongly supporting. Along with the Bill on dog breeding last week, it is a welcome opportunity for this House to focus on some of the more extreme and, frankly, indefensible practices which animals in this country are subject to. I want to speak very directly about this. There is si…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on this proposal from Deputy Coppinger. I wish to state clearly at the outset that I and my Department take the matter of animal welfare most seriously. My Department devotes considerable resources to protect the well-being of animals and deal with breaches of animal welfare legislation when they occur. The Government is fully committed to promoting …

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on this very important matter. I will not be voting for a ban on fox hunting. For fear that people think that there is an urban-rural divide, there is no such thing down the country. Maybe there is somebody inside the Pale here who do not understand rural Ireland, but in rural Ireland we have towns that depend on the farming community, including sheep farme…

It is my time to speak now. I know the Minister of State finds that hard. The other issue is why we are talking about this now. The reason is that I get Private Members' time one and half times a year. That is why we are talking about it now. It is not a plot to make anyone look bad. It was either now or some time later. The reason it was put forward now was that it became a big issue in the Pres…

I refer to the clerks, security staff, cleaners, catering staff and all who quietly go about their business and create what is essentially the community that underpins our nation's democracy. I also thank all the TDs in the House. We may differ on matters - we do not agree on everything - but I believe we are all here for the right reason, which is to advance the interests of the people of this co…

Again last night there was traffic chaos across Dublin after the M50 was closed due to a fire near the bridge. This rippled across the city and the counties surrounding Dublin. For those relying on public transport, there is more and more evidence of a system falling apart or not functioning: ghost buses, cancelled trains, and a Luas that shuts down due to a storm. Commuters are tearing their hair…

The Deputy has identified a number of issues, ranging from public transport and the M50 to road safety. For me, the latter is the most significant issue. There is very significant traffic congestion on the M50. It is a vital piece of national infrastructure. Growth in our economy and in our population has added significantly to the traffic. Overall levels on the M50 have grown by 11% since 2019. T…

We need to develop affordable housing as well. We all know we need to get to 50,000 per annum overall in terms of house building and 60,000 if we can. That is the answer to it.

County Clare is the heartland of suckler beef, with 85% of farming in the county being suckler beef-based. I farm myself. We have Hereford, shorthorn and Dexter cattle. It does not sit well with farmers in Clare and other counties in the west that we could enter a Mercosur deal. The type of cattle we raise in the west are pasture-based for seven months or eight months of the year. Then they are ho…

The Bill proposes to ban single-use vapes and creates a framework to achieve this. The ban will be in effect within six months of the commencement of section 7 of the Act, as the Minister said. I support this Bill because it is simple in what it seeks to achieve, which is to ban single-use vapes. I will offer my opinion on, and a critique of, the Government's wider approach to this issue. I will f…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill this afternoon. It is really important. There is not a shop you can go to in the country where you will not see bins outside the door littered with these awful looking disposable vapes. There is also some kind of trend to stick the stickers peeled off the top of these disposable vapes all over the bin. They just seem to be everywhere. I will get to t…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this. I have huge concerns about vaping and have had for quite some time, particularly about the issue of vaping companies targeting young people as part of their marketing strategy. This is very compelling marketing strategy and it has been a successful strategy. Vape companies are using beautiful scents and smells and so on and presenting vapes as fun, almos…

I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate. At the outset, I acknowledge the huge efforts the Minister of State made personally, along with his team, in the negotiation field in the past few weeks. Every effort was made by the Minister of State and his team to try to get a good deal for Ireland. What has really happened here is a ganging up of other European countries. We often…

I support Deputy Mark Ward's amendment. He has already spoken about the legislation we proposed earlier. It is about ensuring that, for those communities that pay the greatest price for organised crime and all the chaos that comes with it, there is some sort of payback. We know none of that is going to be enough. What is needed is something far more comprehensive. I have spoken to the Minister abo…

Sinn Féin will be supporting both sets of exempted development regulations. They are modest and reasonable and, in our view, they are sensible. We have no issue with them proceeding. However, I will put on the record of the Dáil my deep dissatisfaction at the manner in which the Minister has processed these regulations. As Members will know, this is the second time these regulations have been brou…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Before I begin to respond, I want to take a moment as well to express my sympathy to and solidarity with the Australian people and with our Jewish community here in Ireland as they come to terms with the horror and the grief of the mass shooting event at Bondi Beach on Sunday. Fifteen people, including a ten-year-old child and a Holocaust survivor, were cr…

I thank the Deputy for the question. I have seen the footage on social media and a lot of people sent pictures to me of what happened in that area last week. He is right that there are interim solutions we brought forward, along with the changes to the minor works scheme. I say to every Deputy in the House that I need local authorities to work with me and my Department, and not come to the House t…

In my constituency between Shanowen Road and Collins Avenue there are proposals to build new apartment developments. While the additional new housing is incredibly welcome, unfortunately the under-utilised industrial estate there is currently occupied by Santry Boxing Club. Would the Taoiseach agree as well as powering ahead with the provision of new housing, Dublin City Council needs to have a mo…

I also send my solidarity to the Jewish community in Sydney following the appalling attack. I am sure the Taoiseach agrees with me that cities should be liveable and should have culture as well as venues where people can meet, socialise and enjoy themselves. Will the Cabinet committee on housing and local government discuss the issue of The Complex, a very important cultural space in our capital …

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill this evening. It is clear that it is an essential part of what we need to put in place for spending for the coming year and the function has to be put through here. We understand that. I take the opportunity to speak about some issues in in my constituency and in the north west in general, particularly capital projects. Capital projects are certainl…

I will start with some criticism I heard about the Government's introduction of a lower rate for the hospitality sector. I welcome that from the bottom of my heart because I know what it means. It tells you how out of touch with reality the Social Democrats, the Labour Party and People Before Profit are that they do not understand the benefit of the VAT rate going down from 13% to 9%. It is an ast…

Blister packs are essential for people who live with dementia. They are an essential part of the lives of people on medication who live at home. It is even essential for first aid responders who come to houses looking for people, as they know what they have taken. The main point in the debate is that the blister packs are for the same people who have blisters on their hands from working all their…

I hope the Deputy will understand that I will not comment on his remark regarding former Members of this House who are unable to explain their rationale or whatever. However, as he asked, I will bring this to the attention of the Minister for Health, as it has been. I just happen to be answering tonight on her behalf. I again acknowledge the extraordinary service of our healthcare workers during …

I have to be very honest here. I want to this to work. The reality is that the way previous Governments have treated infrastructure has been abysmal and we see the direct results that has had. We see it particularly when storms hit or when people want to be able to build housing, providing housing or be able to attract jobs to areas. The state of our infrastructure has been horrific. I have a numb…