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2428. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of additional supported housing units for adults with learning disabilities that are currently planned or in development for North Dublin, including expected timelines for delivery. [24598/26]

2436. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to indicate whether dedicated, ringfenced capital funding will be provided for small-scale, community-based supported housing for adults with intellectual disabilities; the level of funding envisaged; and the timeframe for delivery. [24610/26]

2438. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department will publish annual data on unmet housing needs for adults with intellectual disabilities, alongside the number of new units delivered; and if so, to indicate when such reporting will commence. [24612/26]

2466. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of supported housing units in Cork. [24964/26]

2467. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of supported housing units that are planned in Cork. [24965/26]

2491. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps being taken to improve coordination between the HSE and the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage on the delivery of supported living units for adults with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25212/26]

2565. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a schedule of all studies and reports commissioned by her Department in each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026, that were composed and delivered by third parties (details supplied); the title and final cost of same; and whether the report is published and or laid in the Houses o…

2566. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a schedule of all studies and reports commissioned by her in each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026, that were composed and delivered by her officials; the title and final cost of same, if applicable; to provide a breakdown of where costs were incurred; and whether the report is…

2588. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason the process currently exists whereby adults with an intellectual disability who wish to seek full time residential care or placement are required to submit a housing application to a local authority when the local authority does not provide full-time residential care for such adults; and if she will mak…

2591. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if there is cross-departmental co-ordination between her Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for the long-term planning of residential places for adults with an intellectual disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27146/26]

2844. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health the plans she has for the lands/buildings at a former campus (details supplied); if she will make a decision and dispose of any lands/buildings that are surplus to requirement; if she will engage with Kerry County Council in regard to these surplus lands/buildings as they are suitable for housing purposes; and if she will make a statement o…

2874. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of beds that have been unavailable for use at Heather House Community Nursing Unit (Daisy Unit) in each month from February 2025 to date; and the number of residents displaced as a result in each month, in tabular form. [24692/26]

2875. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the measures that have been put in place to offset the loss of 25 beds at Heather House Community Nursing Unit since February 2025; and whether additional capacity has been sourced externally, including through private or voluntary providers, as a direct consequence. [24693/26]

2876. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the interim staffing arrangements currently in place to ensure the safe operation of the dementia-specific unit at Heather House Community Nursing Unit pending the finalisation of an approved workforce model; and the current whole-time equivalent staffing levels assigned to that unit. [24694/26]

2877. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total projected cost, procurement process, and key timeline milestones associated with the fire safety works at Heather House Community Nursing Unit; and whether any delays have arisen since the works commenced. [24695/26]

2879. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of admissions to Heather House Community Nursing Unit that could not proceed, were delayed, or were diverted elsewhere in each month since March 2025 due to the temporary closure of the 25-bed Daisy Unit for fire safety works. [24697/26]

2880. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the temporary closure of the 25-bed Daisy Unit at Heather House Community Nursing Unit has resulted in a net reduction in operational bed capacity at the facility in each month since March 2025; and if she will provide the total number of operational beds available at the unit in each such month. [24698/26]

2881. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current project timetable for the fire safety works required to Daisy Unit, Heather House Community Nursing Unit; the date on which the works commenced; the current stage of completion; any interim milestones set; and the reason the works are now projected to continue until on or before the end of September 2026. [24699/26]

2882. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total cost estimated and incurred to date in respect of the fire safety works to Daisy Unit, Heather House Community Nursing Unit; and whether additional funding has been approved to complete the works. [24700/26]

2883. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health when the approved workforce model for Heather House Community Nursing Unit, including the dementia-specific unit, is expected to be finalised; and whether she will provide the total approved whole-time equivalent staffing complement required for the facility as a whole and for the dementia-specific unit in particular. [24701/26]

2884. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether funding has been approved for the full staffing complement required to operate the 19-bed dementia-specific unit at Heather House Community Nursing Unit safely on reopening; and if not, when such funding approval will be made. [24702/26]

2885. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any external fire safety, regulatory, or risk assessment was carried out in relation to Daisy Unit, Heather House Community Nursing Unit, prior to its closure in late February 2025; and if so, the date and outcome of that assessment. [24703/26]

3023. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Health if she will ensure that legislation to enable care partners for vulnerable people in hospitals, hospices, care homes and other health settings will be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas; the status of the work indicated in response to a previous Parliamentary Question (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matte…

3058. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 572 of 5 March 2026, the engagements she has had with the Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government regarding funding for the Integrated Homeless Services Hub in Cork city (details supplied); the way in which this project is being funded; the timeline for submission of the proposal seeking sec…

3228. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the training local authority housing officers receive on public sector duty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26531/26]

I will start with my disappointment that people on that side of the House would turn around and say that people on this side of the House are far right or far left. I am a father. I have been heckled-----

This is what I am trying to say. Politicians come in here and say something sometimes for a headline. I say what I feel, being part of me. If Members do not agree with it, that is their problem. Remember this: I went around to many houses during the election. I went to one house and a person opened the door. They were identifying as a fox. Did I respect them? Did I talk to them? Yes, I did. Did I…

Go raibh maith agat. I want to speak about migration and the Government’s one-eighty change in tone and policy on immigration. Since the Greens left government, Cabinet members have notably shifted rightward on this, pandering to some of the worst instincts in our otherwise welcoming society. The Government has allowed dangerous rhetoric to obscure its own failures on housing and infrastructure. I…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. At the outset, I would condemn unreservedly the attacks the Deputy has referenced in terms of the Brazilian delivery person. I have also read reports in terms of three Afghan asylum seekers reporting to the Garda that they had been viciously attacked in their car. There is, and has been a growing, atmosphere, largely fuelled by elements within society that…

With reference to the Taoiseach’s meeting with British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, I note the progress made by the UK Government with regard to dealing with legacy, and I compliment Deputy Smith on his work in this area in particular. I note the publication this week by the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee around legacy. One of the more interesting recommendations was that Ir…

For the information of the House, Committee Stage of the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 is starting at 3.30 p.m. The Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, will come in after I have spoken. Officials will take note of matters raised by all Deputies here and we will respond. It is outside my control as the committee meeting was scheduled by the committee. Since 2022, we have seen sign…

For the past number of years under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Governments we have seen what feels like a permanent cost-of-living crisis. People are being squeezed from every angle, be it grocery price inflation, the cost of renting or buying a home or childcare costs, something the Government has been conspicuously silent on since the promise of it costing €200 a month. We know student fees are go…

During the last budget, the then Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, claimed there was no need for cost-of-living payments in the budget because, "inflation has now returned to normal rates." He said inflation would be around 2% this year. What a load of rubbish, gaslighting people that the cost of living was actually becoming more affordable, when the dogs on the street know that it is not. He…

The cost of energy is putting huge pressure on households, with 300,000 households now in arrears with electricity bills. I was listening to Deputy Barry Ward complaining about the energy companies putting up the wholesale price - of course, they are doing it - and he wondered why electricity is getting so dear. Well, 25 years ago, it was 96% publicly owned. We had one of the cheapest electricity …

Christmas is approaching. When we were growing up, we were told by our parents that if we were not good for Christmas, Santy would fill our stockings with coal. How many people in this country this year will be hoping that Santy brings them a bag of coal? How many? Have we not turned full circle? It is not that long ago that we heard it. We will now see people go cold in their houses this year. I…

I only have two and a half minutes so I will make two or three points, beginning with the planning system. As the Minister knows, most local authorities are reviewing their development plans, which I welcome. It is long overdue. There is one issue I want to raise with the Minister and it is something I only became aware of in the past couple of days. It is a document on housing densities entitled …

There are three issues I wish to raise in regard to housing. The first is homelessness; something we see across the length and breadth of the country, particularly in urban areas. I come from a rural part of the country, Sligo–Leitrim. We have a homelessness crisis. We have a lot of people sleeping out in doorways, which we did not have before. We have many people staying with relatives or friends…

I do not know if the Minister is a cinema fan, but he may at one point in his life have seen Terry Gilliam’s futuristic sci-fi movie “Brazil”. Having listened to the Minister's speech and having read the notes twice before and watched back his interaction with the committee - I was sick last week so I could not attend - it is a little bit like something from the movie, which means that I have no i…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this matter. I welcome this amendment in relation to variations of the local development plan. It is a practical step and it shows a level of flexibility regarding planning, which has become increasingly inflexible. While we are discussing this, I ask the Minister to consider allowing local councillors and local authorities more autonomy and more responsibilit…

Earlier on, I was talking about the fact that all newly development rezoned areas should be SDZs to try to tie in facilities and infrastructure. As regards taking away some community input by fast-tracking the process, I see the need to fast-track the process but we still have to have the input and we still have to allow it in some way. A lot of the times that An Bord Pleanála, now An Coimisiún Pl…

Your Excellency, President Zelenskyy, Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Members of Dáil and Seanad Éireann, Ambassador Gerasko, distinguished guests and friends of Ukraine. A Uachtarán Zelenskyy, tá fáilte mhór romhat i dTeach Laighean, ionad Pharlaimint náisiúnta na hÉireann. Is mór an meas atá againn ort féin agus ar mhuintir na hÚcráine, agus ar an seasmhacht agus ar an diongbháilteacht atá léirithe agaibh …

I have not spoken on this issue before but I have listened to so many debates on it over the period of time. It struck me today when I was looking at the update to the Bill and the background to it. It reminds me of when we had issues with pyrite in my constituency. It was one of the first areas where it was discovered that pyrite was affecting homes. I know it is a completely different defect tha…

I appreciate the time to speak to this Bill, but I have to share the frustration that many others have expressed at how this has been handled and the fact we have only been able to access the Bill in the past number of hours. The Chief Whip addressed the issue on the Order of Business, but it will have a knock-on effect. She said we will have more time to debate the issue next week, but as somebod…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. My colleagues have outlined Sinn Féin’s serious concerns with the provisions of the Bill. Its fundamental flaws must be addressed. It is clear that the defective concrete block crisis has devastated thousands of families across the State. The Government’s response to date has focused on counties Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Limerick and Sligo. While that i…

It is hard to believe we are here dealing with this issue. Sometimes, when a issue comes to a politician it shows the abject failure across the board. In many instances we are talking about individual cases where the State has failed. We are talking about the Coast Guard search and rescue. Ask anybody on the street what that means and they will say it is people who go above and beyond, who are ri…

There is still significant time to be able to shape that agenda because we will not have our final policies set out until June. We have six months to make sure that we are clear as to what we want on the agenda and that we are following on from items that are currently being discussed. There have been in-person meetings to date. For example, the Tánaiste had a large meeting with IBEC where there w…

Senator Noonan and I have raised the environmental damage at Lady's Island Lake on several occasions in both Houses. I welcome the recent announcement of funding by the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, for Wexford County Council to help tackle the issue. What is the Minister's Department and the agencies associated with it doing in response to the report of the joint committee regarding the po…

I will do so. I agree with the Deputy that this is about partnership. As with all areas related to addressing environmental challenges, the partnership approach is what works really well. As I stated, Wexford County Council, with the guidance of the interdepartmental group, has developed a site-specific action plan to address the challenges faced by Lady's Island Lake within the framework and mech…

It will be a year to the day this Saturday since the general election. One of the crucial areas that came up time and time again on the doors in Kildare North was the lack of social infrastructure keeping pace with the new houses being built. I am sure the Tánaiste has experienced this as well in his own constituency, the neighbouring constituency of Wicklow. What I would like to raise today is sc…

The Tánaiste's colleague, the Minister for housing, James Browne, has pulled the plans to build nearly 500 units within the Dublin City Council area under public-private partnerships. A total of 1,000 new homes have already been delivered under public-private partnerships and a further 3,500 were in the process of being delivered across the country. However, the Minister pulled the plug on the del…