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636. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the action that has been taken by NPWS to protect habitats and plants within Natura 2000 sites at Lady's Island Lake from ongoing water pollution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22281/26]

642. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the exact number of vacant and derelict properties identified in the Roscommon–Galway constituency; and the number brought back into use under the Croí Cónaithe and other schemes to date, in tabular form. [22320/26]

644. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the progress made on a revised Guide for the Rapid Operationalisation of Community Support Centres, based on the experience of its operation over winter 2025-2026, as his Department committed to in their Review of Storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22394/26]

645. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list of all community support centres that can be operationalised in the case of extreme weather events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22395/26]

646. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management's review of all local authority severe weather plans and flood plans, as referenced in his Department’s Review of Storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22396/26]

647. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the work underway to increase resilience in internal communications systems during extreme weather events, as referenced in his Department’s Review of Storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22397/26]

648. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding his Department’s work on developing mutual aid agreements with European energy counterparts, as referenced in his Department’s Review of Storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22398/26]

649. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding TETRA being rolled out to generation sites as an additional contingency in the event of backup communications (Optel) failures, as referenced in his Department’s Review of Storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22399/26]

650. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding Uisce Éireann's installation of 30 new permanent standby generators and the purchase of mobile generators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22401/26]

651. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on Uisce Éireann's target to facilitate an additional 75 sites for mobile generator connectivity by the end of 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22402/26]

652. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason agricultural buildings and structures are not eligible for the vacant property refurbishment grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22436/26]

653. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage where it stipulates that agricultural buildings and structures are not eligible for the vacant property refurbishment grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22437/26]

654. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to consider extending the vacant property refurbishment grant to cover agricultural buildings and structures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22438/26]

655. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of whole-time equivalent members of staff in each local authority for the years 2022-2023-2024-2025, by county/city authority; if he will provide a schedule of local authorities that applied to recruit additional staffing for those years; the local authorities that were granted permission, and refus…

656. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress that has been made towards the achievement of a government policy document on the development of windfarms and solar farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23120/26]

726. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the intended timeline for the finalisation, introduction to the Houses of the Oireachtas and enactment of the Civil Reform Bill 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22180/26]

737. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will ensure that no Member of the current Houses of the Oireachtas has had their phone calls or other forms of personal or business communications listened to, copied or intercepted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22426/26]

787. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the current poultry housing restrictions introduced in response to avian influenza; the criteria his Department is using to determine when these restrictions may be reviewed or lifted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22468/26]

793. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the process by which an adult with an intellectual disability who is already known to the HSE and on local authority housing lists can obtain an assessment of need for residential and support services; the steps a family should take where no such assessment has yet been carried out despite long-term engageme…

794. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to clarify what is meant by the term “offer zone” as used by the HSE in correspondence with carers in the context of disability residential and supported housing services; the criteria for a person being considered within an offer zone; whether an assessment of need or service planning can take place before a person en…

796. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the formal process which exists to plan the transition of an adult with an intellectual disability from the family home to supported or shared accommodation; whether families are entitled to an advance plan setting out likely housing and support options; the timelines that normally apply; and if she will make a stateme…

797. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the national policy in place to ensure that adults with intellectual disabilities living with ageing parents have a clear and timely pathway to supported housing; the measures being taken to avoid crisis placements where family care can no longer be provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21426/26]

5. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of contracts issued to hotels and-or guest houses to accommodate Ukrainian people, including the total number of beds, by county, at end of both February 2025 and February 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20884/26]

217. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of residential properties in Galway City and County which have been purchased while being subject to the 10% and 15% stamp duty rates for multiple purchases of ten or more housing units for each year since 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21120/26]

263. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of residential properties in Galway City and County currently registered for short-term letting; the proportion of housing stock represented by such properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21123/26]

I welcome the contributions that have been made on this important Bill so far this afternoon. I commend the vision and efficiency that the Government has shown in progressing this Bill, which will fulfil the second phase of a multiyear plan to increase the number of judges. While those who work to administer justice in Ireland are among the hardest working individuals in the country, by increasing…

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 Carol Nolan - Contract work delays for St. Brendan's Community School, Birr. Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss the building blocks grant and how it can be enhanced. Deputy Mark Wall - To discuss the petition to provide an hourly tra…

I raise an issue I dealt with when I was Minister of State at the Department of Health. It is about having an integrated homeless health hub in Cork city. In October 2024, I arranged a meeting between the Department of Health, the Department of housing, the HSE in Cork and Cork City Council. It was agreed that we would all work together to establish a day centre where people who were homeless coul…

I thank Deputy Burke for raising this important matter. I know how passionate he is about this integrated homeless health hub. I have heard him speak about it on many occasions, as he has again today. I welcome the opportunity to take this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Health and to inform the House of the current position relating to the provision of an integrated homeless health hu…

Again, I agree with the Deputy. I think we are all in agreement that we do need to commit to tackling the waiting lists. That is why we have a dedicated Minister of State with responsibility for disability at the Cabinet, working within the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, as part of the wider Government response to increase the number of residential places and improve capacity wit…

I move amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "2024" and substitute the following: "be deemed to be read a second time this day one month.". I commend Deputy Ó Snodaigh on bringing forward this Bill, which I and the Labour Party are firmly behind. I also pay tribute to Ailish McCarthy for initiating the campaign three years ago and pursuing it so diligently over the past …

I am delighted to inform the House on recent developments and achievements on drug policy. The Government will not oppose the motion. It is not helpful to get into a political dispute about drugs policy. It is important not to argue over something that affects the lives of so many. As new Minister of State, I assure Members that I am very mindful that we are talking about families and people's liv…

Today, the Labour Party is calling for the urgent adoption of a comprehensive public health approach to the decriminalisation of possession of drugs for personal use and the development of safer consumption spaces. I thank my party colleague, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, for his work over the past number of years. I thank the Minister of State for not opposing this motion. The purpose of this motion is clea…

One of my first political experiences was canvassing in a block of flats in Dublin. As I walked up the stairwell in the block of flats, I noticed, first, a pair of women's tights on the stairwell. When I got higher, I noticed a discoloured spoon near the top of the stairwell and when I got to the very top, there was a 17-year-old boy lying on the ground, practically unconscious, foaming at the mou…

Aontaím go láidir le go leor rudaí a bhí á rá ag Deputy McAuliffe ansin. Tá ár Dáilcheantair an-ghar dá chéile agus bímid ag obair ar na rudaí céanna. Míle buíochas le Páirtí an Lucht Oibre as an rún seo a thabhairt isteach sa Dáil. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach dom. I rith an toghcháin bhí mé ag dul ó dhoras go doras agus bhí go leor páirtithe sa Teach seo ag rá go mbeadh siad ar son an rud se…

-----trying to put together a housing plan. Does the Minister agree that we face another 15 years of a housing disaster?

It is why we need to remove some of the regulations that exist in parts of delivery of infrastructure and also in housing. The Deputy's solution on housing is just more State investment-----

-----and he ignores the market continuously. We need to have a viable housing market that allows small builders and developers to deliver housing right across our economy.

As the Minister is probably aware, an outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in County Carlow. This flock of about 500 birds will have to be euthanised. We need to see adequate compensation packages for farmers affected and biosecurity measures must be stepped up. As a preventative, I am calling for a housing order to be implemented as we know wild birds play a huge r…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. First, I extend my sympathy to the flock owner affected in Carlow. We have a 3 km protection zone and a 10 km zone in place, as is procedure. At noon today, I announced the introduction of a housing order in consultation with my colleague in Northern Ireland, the Minister, Mr. Muir. That will take effect in Ireland from next Monday because we ne…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I raise this in the context of the OPW being an organisation that has its hands on many properties around the country and manages a huge portfolio of different properties. One that is closest to my heart is Castletown House, which has been a key amenity in the Leixlip-Celbridge area for a number of years, and has been a key focal point for the island. I…

It should not come as a surprise, given the recent and marked growth in Ireland's population and diversity, that there is a widespread public conversation on migration. It is no surprise either that people recognise the value that nurses from the Philippines, doctors from Syria and engineers from India bring to our society, our economy and our service provision, which would really struggle without…

It has been clear for quite some time that this Government has been mismanaging the entire IPAS process and accommodation. Concerns raised by the Opposition and civil society groups have been dismissed by this Government. It has buried its head in the sand, stating how much it is spending to fix the problem, which only continually gets worse. It is solely responsible for the mess and it will not b…

In recent weeks we have seen in Citywest and Drogheda absolute violence with the potential for children and adults to be murdered with that arson attack. That is the reality. The Government can talk about condemning and say it absolutely thinks this is disgraceful, but I encourage people to read what the Hope and Courage Collective has put out. It makes it clear that it is the words of political l…

It is imperative that all of us condemn all violence and intimidation of international protection applicants at IPAS centres, which many applicants call home. Across Europe, every country is facing the same challenge, namely how to manage immigration fairly and firmly. Ireland is no different from its European counterparts. They have tightened their systems, sped up decisions and focused support o…

The Tánaiste said yesterday that we need a rationale, calm and informed debate on migration. I agree with that sentiment. Unfortunately, the past week offers little evidence that he means what he says. We need a reset on our public discourse on migration and that starts with all of us in this House and with our leaders in government. For a rationale debate, we need to make appeals to truth, not fe…

I join others in expressing outright condemnation of the horrible scene we saw in Drogheda the other night. I did not realise until yesterday morning that there was actually footage of it online. How disgusting to see someone bring a flammable liquid into the hallway of that premises, pour it up along the stairway and set it on fire, putting the lives of children upstairs at risk. It is disgusting…

I would like to be associated with the words of condemnation of what happened in Drogheda, as my party colleagues have pointed out. I speak for the 82% of Irish people who feel unheard, unseen and forgotten in this country. The Government has lost control of migration, lost control of enforcement and lost the confidence of the nation. What we have now is a system without fairness and without end …

Deputy O'Flynn has left the Chamber but unless I misheard him, he said that when we walk through our villages, they do not reflect Irish society. I am not sure what he meant by that but I cannot imagine how it could be interpreted as anything other than inflammatory. It really puts into stark contrast the labels that have been thrown at my party leader for the measured remarks he has made in respe…

Before we proceed to Leaders' Questions, I have a short announcement to make to the House. It is the first time since 1973 that a sitting TD has successfully contested a presidential election and it is the first time in the history of our Constitution that a sitting female TD has successfully contested a presidential election. In accordance with the Presidential Elections Act, I have received form…