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1118. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the damage threshold criteria within the defective concrete blocks scheme; whether consideration is being given to basing eligibility primarily on certified engineering testing and professional assessment rather than fixed damage thresholds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20…

1119. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to parliamentary questions submitted in 2025, for an update on the campaign to reinter the historical figures, commonly known as the Invincibles, with relatives who are buried at Kilmainham Gaol since 1883; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20509/26]

1120. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current position in relation to a new project in County Laois (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20564/26]

1121. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to review the income eligibility thresholds for HAP in light of increasing rents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20585/26]

1122. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of carbon that will be emitted on all transport and related actions undertaken by him and all members of his staff during their St Patrick’s Day trips in 2026. [20611/26]

1123. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of carbon that will be emitted on all transport and related actions undertaken by all Junior Ministers in his Department and their members of staff during their St Patrick’s Day trips in 2026. [20629/26]

1124. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has paid to offset any of the carbon emitted due to St Patrick’s Day trips in 2026; and the amount paid. [20648/26]

1125. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of carbon that has been emitted by transport used by him, the Junior Ministers in his Department, and their staff for each of the past five years; if he has paid to offset any of the carbon emitted because of transport; and the amount paid in each year. [20666/26]

1126. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the current industrial relations dispute within Tailte Éireann given the Government's failure to implement a pay agreement which was agreed between the trade union (details supplied), Tailte Éireann and Government Departments following the merging of Ordnance Survey Ireland in…

1127. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason Lough Corrib was never added to the protected area register under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD); the timeline for this oversight to be rectified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20718/26]

1128. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures his Department is implementing so that Lough Corrib and the Corrib River in County Galway can achieve a 'High Ecological Status' as referenced in the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20719/26]

1129. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will clarify a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20744/26]

1130. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if all removals from a list (details supplied) or exceeding the income threshold for 2025/2026 could be postponed until the review is completed. [20752/26]

1131. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if any assistance is available to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20805/26]

1134. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will work with community groups to restore native trees at a location used by the State (details supplied); and if not, the supports or funding he can provide in the context of restoration of biodiversity and nature. [20858/26]

1270. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of protests which took place outside Leinster House that required additional Garda resources and physical barriers to be erected in the years of 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form. [18686/26]

1340. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the rationale for excluding essential household expenditures including housing, childcare, transport, medical costs and existing financial obligation from the child maintenance calculator; and whether future revisions will incorporate cost-of-living considerations to better reflect the actual cost of raising a c…

1494. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in the context of the protection of school children, is she aware of the fact that the previous Minister of Housing, Local Government and Heritage/National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), upon the advice of his then Department/NPWS, withdrew the proactive, elective Derogation Regulation, ; her views on whether…

1519. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to confirm whether there is no housing coordinator in disability services in a specific CHO (details supplied); the length of time the role is vacant; if the vacancy is as a result of a lack of funding as advised to service users; the alternative route in place in order to facilitate engagement with local authoritie…

1529. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if key areas such as social welfare, social housing, healthcare, and the functions of public bodies that impact on the lives of women (details supplied) will be explicitly covered by equality legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19052/26]

1545. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will commit to publishing aggregated childcare demand and capacity data, similar to the way information in education, housing and health planning is publicly shared, to support evidence-based planning and policy development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19295/26]

1547. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the status of work by her Department to develop projected childcare demand modelling based on population growth and housing development; the timeline for completion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19297/26]

1585. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total annual spend in residential care and respite service in the State for each of the years 2023 to 2025; the total number of individuals housed or in receipt of respite support per REO, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19861/26]

1989. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted any review or assessment of the number of residential properties owned by the Health Service Executive which are vacant at present; the potential use of such properties for housing or accommodation purposes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19869/26]

2267. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the expected date on which the performance and evaluation framework for the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction will be formally approved; whether the framework will be published; and whether it will include measurable targets relating to housing output, trainin…

I am just after running over from Hodges Figgis from the launch of The Irish Unity Dividend by Ben Collins. Everything that should be done from sport right through should be done on the basis that we are one single island, eventually delivering a 32-county unitary state that delivers for its people. Coming from Dundalk, it would be impossible not to mention how proud we are of Kate O'Connor in the…

I thank the Minister of State for facilitating this debate. In this House, there often are very different opinions on matters discussed. The one thing we can all agree on is the positive benefits of sport, which are vast. I always make the point that sport is a great character-building hobby for young people and individuals. It helps them tremendously through their self-development and teaches the…

Sport is essential to Irish life. It would be hard to find a household that was not tuned in to watch Tipperary lash Cork in the all-Ireland or to see Shane Lowry make that final hole last weekend. That spirit and such huge excitement and interest brings a real sense of belonging and identity to communities. It is so important. The previous Government recognised that with its funding paths in term…

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I ask that we step aside from the cheap political point scoring for a moment. I want to raise a very serious issue on which I think there is commonality across this House, which is children's health. Specifically, the issue of children who have been suffering with scoliosis and spina bifida who have been failed for far too long by this State. I welcome the …

Decades of inaction, mismanagement and a lack of ambition from successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments have caused Ireland's critical infrastructural deficits to develop into a full-blown crisis across multiple sectors. An Teachta Daly referred to the motion that Sinn Féin brought forward last week and the snail's pace at which the Government has rolled out the transition to renewable ene…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — the Government have failed to end the rip-off when it comes to insurance costs; — the increasing cost of motor insurance is putting many people under severe pressure in a cost-of-living crisis; — the cost of motor insurance has increased at more than four times the general rate of inflation; — people are now facing health insurance costs of roughly €2…

I thank Sinn Féin for giving us the opportunity to discuss the cost of insurance in the Chamber. We have done it many times before but I do not know if anyone has been listening to us. Clearly, there is not enough competition in the market. I honestly believe, and have said before, that when Seán Quinn was competing in the market for insurance and was an alternative, that was the only time that in…

I thank the Deputy for his question on this important matter. As I have previously outlined to the House, the Chicago Convention of 1944 is the main international treaty governing the operation of international civil aviation. Article 35 of this convention provides that no civil aircraft may carry munitions of war in the sovereign territory of a state without that state’s permission. That pertains…

I thank the Minister of State. I am very grateful for his help in securing the money for the Mallow distributor road. We accept that it is vital that we get it up and running. In the meantime, I am delighted with the Minister of State's reply to the effect that the NTA is exploring looking at putting the orbital route in place. The Minister of State visited my constituency several times. I invite …

I thank the Deputy for his support for this initiative. It is important we ensure there is safety on our public transport network right across the country. I want to assure him that we are actively progressing the legislative proposals required to deliver on the programme for Government commitment to establish that transport security force. I have worked very closely with the NTA. I met its chair…

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 Paula Butterly - To discuss the NCSE SNA review process and the 2025-26 allocation guidelines. Deputy Darren O'Rourke - To discuss the new guidelines for SNA reviews in 2025-26. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss amending the natio…

I thank Deputy Quinlivan for the timely opportunity to address the House on capacity at University Hospital Limerick. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, who sends her apologies that she cannot be here to provide an update on the measures that are being taken to alleviate overcrowding. Since the Deputy last raised a Topical Issue on this matter i…

I thank the Minister for that and, in particular, his commitment to help arrange a meeting between the TDs, the chief executive of Laois County Council and appropriate IDA officials - or Enterprise Ireland officials, while we are at it, because the figures for Enterprise Ireland in Laois are abysmally low as well. We are almost at the bottom. I will make a few key points. The Minister mentioned L…

Maybe when he comes back in, the Minister can tell me when the dashboard, which will allegedly contain a number of child poverty measurements, will be available. I know it will come from the child poverty unit so is not, strictly speaking, the Minister's Department, but I am sure it will be involved in it. Here is my difficulty. The consistent poverty rate for children is running at 8.5%, double w…

Can I make a point of order? My party leader has written to the Ceann Comhairle and the leaders of the Government parties. We tried to introduce an urgent motion to condemn the attack on the flotilla. As the Minister knows, there are 20 Irish citizens on board the flotilla trying to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. They are in international waters. It includes one of our colleagues, Senator Chris A…

I thank Deputy Nash for raising this matter. When I was preparing for Leaders' Questions here today, part of me thought it was unlikely that I would get a question about the Government spending too much money. I am really glad that the Deputy has raised this because it gives me an opportunity to respond on what are very important issues. First, on the sustainability of our public finances and whe…

I endorse the calls of Deputy Paul Murphy for an Irish representative on the legal observer post for the Global Sumud Flotilla. It is well within the tramlines of diplomatic action that we would do that. I raise with exasperation and desperation the case of Barry Corcoran in my constituency. In 2019 Barry wanted to take part in a deep retrofit pilot programme. He did his due diligence, checked th…

On a point of order, seeing that my Private Members' business was referenced, the motion asked for ideas from all Members of the House. All parties, with the exception of the Social Democrats, contributed in that respect. The Government allowed the motion to be passed to allow the ideas to be assessed and reported on in six months' time. It was a motion on the consequences of antisocial behaviour.…

I thank Members for their contributions. Deputy Nolan is right that we must support social enterprises. That is the fundamental point and it is what I will do as Minister of State. Deputy Donnelly spoke about Rethink Ireland. It was formerly Social Innovation Fund Ireland, SIFI, which was established by the then Government in 2012 to set up a €100 million fund in collaboration with philanthropist…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth, for coming to the House. I want to talk to her about childcare, particularly in Kilcullen, County Kildare, in my constituency. It was the end of July when I was contacted via email and phone by a number of families in Kilcullen about the lack of childcare in that growing town. I met with a large number of mothers on a very sunny day outside a loc…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." It is a privilege to be able to bring this vital Bill before the House on Second Stage. We have a chance today to make clear our commitment to standing up for the most fundamental of rights, the right to bargain collectively for better conditions, pay and a fairer workplace. This is also an opportunity to protect a long-standing successful instit…

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 Pádraig O'Sullivan - To discuss the delays businesses and potential employees experience while applying for work permits. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore - To discuss issues with public transport in Wicklow. Deputy Frankie Feighan - To di…

I thank the Deputy for his remarks regarding the Government's response to this. I reiterate that the Government takes this significant fish mortality very seriously. As the House is aware, farmers have been asked to escalate their efforts in respect of water quality protection. State agencies must do the same. Moreover, there is a duty on State bodies and actors in the public sector to take a lead…

I second this motion and pay tribute to my colleague, Deputy Wall, and the rest of my colleagues for bringing it forward. Almost 250,000 children in this country live in poverty. That is one in five children living in poverty. That is a damning indictment of a Government of a country, which this year can boast that among EU member states it has the healthiest set of public finances, the highest r…

There are swathes of people raising families in a rental system that was never designed for long-term living, with the inflationary impact of increased rental costs. The average industrial wage in this country is just over €50,000, but the average rental price in Dublin is over half the industrial wage. If we take into account all the cost-of-living increases, particularly relating to food, they h…