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986. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of shark fin products and derivatives under Irish Law; the person or body responsible for enforcement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20058/26]

987. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the refurbishment works that were carried out at each National Park during 2025; if each of those refurbishment works projects are completed or still ongoing at present, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18229/26]

988. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a bog (details supplied) is included in the Cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18242/26]

991. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No’s 148,149,150,151,152 of 16 July 2025, if he will provide this Deputy with a complete copy of the Department/NPWS’s correspondence concerning gulls and public health and safety with the HSE in 2017 as cited in his reply; if he will also provide copies of any consistent/sim…

992. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No’s 148,149,150,151,152 of 16 July 2025, and his statement in his reply that he is satisfied that the NPWS carries out their functions in a balanced and measured manner in line with the legislative provisions for the protection of wild birds, if he will confirm that he is al…

993. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department or the National Parks and Wildlife Service has issued any public notices that it is perfectly legal under the Wildlife Acts 1976 and 2000 (Amended) to remove nests from occupied buildings provided they do not contain eggs or hatched chicks; if no such public notice has been issued, and …

994. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a summary of all wildlife licences granted in the period 2019 to 2025 in respect of herring gulls and removal of their nests and eggs, such a summary to include the licence date, location, the reason for which licences were sought, the approved control actions; the specific legal grounds fo…

995. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of meetings which have taken place between him or officials in his Department and an organisation (details supplied) or bodies which are members of the organization in 2025; to provide a list of those meetings; the dates on which they took place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18353…

996. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list of maintenance contracts using public funds that his Department or his/her agencies has where a company (details supplied) carry out works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18358/26]

997. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 654 of 27 January 2026, the number of individual dwellings which were the subject of the remediation claims to date; the total number of estimated dwellings affected which are likely to apply under the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18449/26]

998. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 645 of 20 January 2026, the reasons why he has no plans to propose amendments to the provisions referred to; whether he has relied on any research or reports in forming this view; to outline any such research or reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18450/2…

999. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to elaborate on the January 2026 homelessness statistics by giving a breakdown of the lengths of time spent in emergency accommodation by the 17,112 people mentioned in the report; to state or estimate the average length of time that an adult person spends in emergency accommodation; and to state the earliest dat…

1001. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of growing delays in Tailte Eireann property registration times and the subsequent risks to the conveyancing process; if he or his officials have raised the matter with Tailte Eireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18516/26]

1002. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of staff in Tailte Eireann per annum, under the respective four main function sections of Corporate Affairs, Registration, Valuation, and Surveying from its establishment to 2025, in tabular form. [18517/26]

1003. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total budget for Tailte Eireann per annum under the respective four main function sections of Corporate Affairs, Registration, Valuation and Surveying from its establishment to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18518/26]

1004. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to review and extend resources to Tailte Eireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18519/26]

1005. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason the revised estimates under Vote 16 for Tailte Eireann reduced the annual target for applications for registration submitted and fully processed electronically by 10% in comparison with the 2025 target; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18520/26]

1006. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if alternative EA MLA issued accreditation schemes other than the NSAI are acceptable for modern methods of construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18521/26]

1009. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the next round of URDF funding will open for applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18534/26]

1010. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding his Department's review of the current exempted development regulations; when he expects these changes to come into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18564/26]

1011. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of staff from his Department seconded to other Departments or agencies in the Civil Service, per annum from 2022 to date in 2026; and the details of the Department or agency, in tabular form. [18596/26]

1012. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of staff from his Department seconded to a firm in the private sector, per annum from 2022 to date in 2026; and the details of the company, in tabular form. [18614/26]

1013. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of staff from his Department seconded from a firm in the private sector, per annum from 2022 to date in 2026; and the details of the company, in tabular form. [18632/26]

1015. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management have reviewed protocols, procedures and preparedness of fire services for dealing with Lithium battery fires following an incident (details supplied) last year and given proposals for battery energy storage systems across the State; and if he will ma…

1019. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the implementation of a nationwide CBL system; the timeline for roll out of the new system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18805/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 14, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on infrastructure last met on Thursday, 17 July and is scheduled to next meet on 3 November. The Cabinet committee works to drive infrastructure delivery and the implementation of the revised national development plan. We are prioritising the delivery of critical, growth-enhancing infrastructure, as outlined in t…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. This is far from a Bill that deserves commendation. It is a shameful Finance Bill. It is one that abandons workers for those at the very top. If the Minister was out canvassing, meeting people on the streets or at their doors, they would tell him straight up that they have never felt it as bad and that the Government has abandoned them. The Government has chosen deli…

This budget has very little to do with ordinary families across Ireland. It is to do with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and where they are in the election cycle. After the budget, I picked up some Fine Gael election material. So many promises have been broken. The Deputy is right that the Minister believes he can hold the Government together. There will not be an election for a couple of years and th…

I want to thank all the Deputies who contributed on this debate. I have stayed for all of Second Stage to hear the different views that have been raised and I look forward to dealing with these matters in more detail on Committee Stage, beginning in two weeks. I will now deal with some of the different charges and debates around the Finance Bill. As some speakers have recognised, this is the firs…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt i bhfabhar Éire aontaithe. I believe passionately in Irish unity. It is the reason I got involved in politics. The partition of our country was a historic injustice and we have an obligation to undo that injustice. What gives me hope is the huge excitement I see all over the island at the prospect of unity. That excitement is particularly shared by younger peop…

I welcome this motion and I welcome the opportunity to sign it. Ireland is on the verge of Irish unity. Full independence is within touching distance for this generation. Full self-determination is in the reach of this Dáil. There is a once-in-a-century alignment of factors that has opened the door to the possibility of unity. We have demographics, Brexit and the increasing change between North an…

I am glad we are having this debate in the Dáil. The uniting of all people of this island in a shared state is, beyond all else, the founding value of the Fianna Fáil Party. In politics, we more often than not work in here-and-now situations and the long-term vision we as parliamentarians have for our country and its people is not always expressed. In this debate, I wish to state on the record of …

That remains my position and that of the Government. I think it is objectively fair to say, and there is not much disagreement on this across the House, that the immediate focus has been on the humanitarian aid and supporting the peace plan, on seeing the ceasefire and the hostages being released and looking at practical ways that we can help. International law remains international law and breach…

My position remains the same as I outlined in this House many times. Of course, I am going to discuss and engage with Government colleagues on this and the Government will obviously make its decision as a collective and present its legislation to the Oireachtas. I will dutifully debate that back and forth in this House. I need to allow that process to take its course. I have respect for the way th…

I agree that just because we are a small country is not a reason not to do something. More and more over recent years in the European Union, many coalitions of small and medium-sized countries have come together to work on issues and that has helped move the dial at European level and sometimes at an international level. Recognition was one, as was the fact that we went from being one of only two …

We are depending on migrant workers to build these houses. These workers have come from Poland, Latvia, Moldova, Bolivia, South Africa and other places across the world. As I said, there are 300,000 new homes needed by 2030 and there are 170,000 people working in construction, but 30,000 to 40,000 is a lot of people to be found between now and 2030. All these workers need to be trained. How many y…

This is something I am very aware of and very keen to make progress on. It is multi-faceted; it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. My immediate and short-term focus has been on enabling stalled projects to proceed by tackling the viability issues. The €100 million in the short-term activation programme has been put aside for this purpose. Under that programme, some beds are reserved for priority…

I thank the Deputy for his question and his ongoing interest in this area. We launched the town centre first policy in 2022. It a major cross-Government policy to tackle vacancy and combat dereliction, and in doing so to breathe new life into town centres. Town centre first complements other policies, including Our Rural Future and Housing for All as well as the national planning framework, which …

The Deputy is right to raise this, and I have heard it raised in the House over the last couple of weeks. I am pleased to be able to say that we now have significant funding for 2026 onwards. The Deputy’s question is a valid one, namely, whether there is anything that can be done between now and the start of 2026. My understanding is that the Department of housing keeps this under review and, as i…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House and present the National Training Fund (Amendment) Bill. This Bill, as is evident from its Title, amends the National Training Fund Act 2000. The National Training Fund, NTF, was established by the National Training Fund Act 2000 as a dedicated fund to raise the skills of those in employme…

I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to update him on school transport. I remind him of the increase in the number of tickets issued for the 2025-26 school year to date, with an increase of 6% in tickets issued when compared to the same time last year. While Bus Éireann has reported challenges in sourcing contractors and drivers, not only for school transport but in the wider transport sector na…

I thank Sinn Féin very much for bringing forward this motion. It is a lot of common sense. Anything we can do in this House to make the transition into our formal education system easier for children with disabilities and their families, we should try to do. It would bring certainty and forward planning into that. A year is a very short time. We say a year but, really, applications are made on 1 …

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 Michael Collins - To discuss flooding in the Bantry, Ballinascarthy and Ballylickey areas. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss use of the Pretty Polly site in Killarney, County Kerry, as a centre for training and education. Deputy J…

I thank the Minister of State for the reply but the problem here is that the can is being kicked down the road in relation to the Bantry flood scheme. It looks to me as if the Minister of State in charge of the OPW, whoever it may be, will be heading down to Bantry for the next six or seven years. I will be giving the same spin below, telling businesses that I am very sorry but we will have to wai…

Government funding for this work continues to be provided, with a record €175 million allocated to fund the scheme in 2026. That is more than double the amount allocated to the scheme this year and reflects the strong take-up of the scheme as it begins to take hold, particularly in the north west of the country. In line with the commitment to keep the scheme under review and to improve it, the Gov…

I commend my colleague Deputy Charles Ward on putting together this motion. It speaks volumes that every single member of the Opposition accepted the invitation to co-sign the motion because it reflects the reality on the ground in our counties. My colleagues from other counties will speak soon. As someone from Donegal, I can say with absolute authority that this motion reflects the lived reality …

I am very happy to co-sign this motion today with Deputy Ward and my colleagues, and I do so on behalf of the people of County Mayo and on behalf of the people for whom I have been fighting for the past 15 years. It is 15 years since we first noticed the houses start to crumble in Erris. Pat the Cope Gallagher is in the Chamber, and he will know many of those houses and families impacted. I am app…

I welcome this motion and commend Deputy Ward on bringing it forward. There are families trapped in homes that are unsafe and that are literally crumbling around them. They put their faith in the defective block scheme. They filled out every form and jumped through every hoop and now some are being punished for being too early, for daring to hope that the Government would stand by them in their ho…

I congratulate and thank Deputy Charles Ward for bringing this to the House. I have gotten to know him since we were both elected on the same day. He is an honourable, decent gentleman. The majority of time he has spoken in this House has been about this defective blocks issue, and he has been a lone voice at times on this matter.

Sorry, I thought I was speaking. Deputy Ward has been a great inspiration to me and my constituency and has really brought this to the forefront. People in Cork are stopping me and talking to me about what the Deputy has brought up and about the injustice. The one thing this Government is very good at is drawing divisions in society, setting people against one another, whether it is the private se…