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187. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he intends to publish a National Planning Statement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17487/26]

188. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he plans any changes to cost rental schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17485/26]

191. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the operation of the croí cónaithe scheme in Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17328/26]

192. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will allocate funding to councils to improve the state of repair of social homes. [17822/26]

198. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications that have been approved for the vacant property refurbishment grant in Cavan and Monaghan since its introduction; the number of grants that have been paid out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17477/26]

200. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions that will be taken to promote and bring to a wider audience the massively significant Baltinglass hillfort complex, and many other archaeological sites in this area of west Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16817/26]

204. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the new measures he will bring forward to tackle rising and homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16460/26]

205. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the delivery of affordable homes in Poolbeg West SDZ. [17588/26]

207. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the vacant above the shop grant will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17539/26]

208. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the impact the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 will have on renters in Kerry; his views on whether the increase will be affordable for the people of Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17079/26]

209. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the support his Department is providing for the provision of cost-rental apartments at a location (details supplied); when the project will begin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17470/26]

210. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable purchase homes due to be delivered in 2026 and 2027 under the local authority affordable purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17831/26]

211. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of registration applications submitted to Tailte Éireann for 2024 and 2025 that are still pending; the measures being taken to address these backlogs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17690/26]

212. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm whether early learning and care providers delivering the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme exclusively from their own private property are exempt from liability for commercial rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16946/26]

213. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social homes his Department expects to deliver over the next five years. [17820/26]

214. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the funding allocated to Cork County Council under the community monuments fund in 2024 and 2025; the projects approved in Cork during these years; when recipients of the 2026 fund will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16274/26]

215. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline his approach and plans for local government reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16266/26]

217. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide clarity on when the villages of Broadford and Cooraclare, County Clare, can expect to have their long-promised sewerage schemes constructed, commissioned and operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17303/26]

219. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the work undertaken to date in formalising national planning guidelines for solar energy developments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17741/26]

221. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline his efforts to tackle dereliction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17081/26]

225. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the operation of the interim fire safety defects remediation scheme. [17589/26]

226. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which his Department will ensure strong oversight and quality standards under the new contractor-led pathway within the buy and renew scheme; the way in which this approach will support timely delivery of refurbished social homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17541/26]

229. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total amount of uncollected derelict site levies as of February 2026; the new measures he will bring forward to force local authorities to collect uncollected levies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16459/26]

232. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in light of a report published (details supplied), which revealed that only one property was purchased through CPO by a local authority in January 2026, the efforts he and his Department are making to support an enhanced programme of CPO to combat dereliction all over Ireland; and if he will make a statement on t…

233. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on his plans for the Youth Homeless Strategy post-2026. [17590/26]

Migration has always been part of Ireland's story. For generations our people went abroad seeking work and opportunity. Today people come here for the same reasons, namely, safety, jobs and a chance to build a life. It is important to say migration is not new for this country and given the current climate of the globe I do not believe it is going away. It is important that we distinguish between …

I do not think I was in front of you before this so the best of luck. The reality of immigration is that, at the moment in Ireland, we are building 30,000 houses. There is a huge shortage of houses. Look at the numbers of people who are coming in both through legal and illegal immigration. We are scratching our heads when people want to come to work. Let us bear in mind, we need people working. We…

Excuse me, Minister, I am speaking. You have been longer in the House, so you know the rules the House. I am speaking now.

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 James Geoghegan - To discuss preventing judicial reviews of critical infrastructure projects. Deputy George Lawlor - To discuss the inclusion of commercial bus operators in fare reduction schemes. Deputy Pa Daly - To discuss the re…

I thank Deputy Geoghegan for raising this extremely important matter. He started his contribution by referring to the greater Dublin drainage project, which is an absolutely critical project not just for the people in the constituencies we share but indeed for the whole Dublin area. Deputy Geoghegan's specific concern is what can be done to ensure unmeritorious judicial review applications brought…

First, on the bespoke legislation in respect of the drainage project, obviously that would be legislation coming from a different Department to the Department of justice. I have not given consideration to it. I hear what the Taoiseach had to say on it but that is a matter that would obviously have to come from the Minister for housing in respect of bespoke legislation. As the Deputy will no doubt …

The concern I have is what is going to happen in towns like Mountmellick, Abbeyleix, Mountrath and Portlaoise. In terms of increasing supply, the Taoiseach was in government in 2004, 2005 and 2006 when supply increased. In fact, 96,000 housing units were built in 2006. He will recall in those years that rents skyrocketed. There is not necessarily a correlation with increasing the supply of housin…

I return to the Government’s failure to provide for children. The thought of one child in homelessness is awful, but last month the number of children in homelessness in Ireland surpassed 5,000 for the first time - another shameful record. We see now more than 16,000 people altogether without a home. On the media this week, the Taoiseach sought to deflect blame from central government to local aut…

First, I wish to express my condolences to the family of Patrick Gerard Murphy in west Cork. We are actually laying him to rest tomorrow morning. He would have been good friends with many of us here from Cork in particular, especially myself and Deputy Seamus McGrath in that we would have soldiered together on the council with him. He will be sorely missed. As the Taoiseach knows, Patrick Gerard …

It was never meant for the landlords to sell. The focus was always on tenants who were in danger of being made homeless. Examples have emerged. For example, in some local authorities, no sooner was a house acquired than enormous funds were immediately put into retrofitting it and so on. That was never the original objective of the scheme. It was to get houses acquired to stop them from being sold …

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to mark a major milestone - the recent launch of Ireland's National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. It was fitting that we launched it in the Round Room in the Mansion House, the venue of the First Dáil, and it is here in the Chamber of the Thirty-fourth Dáil that, with the support of colleagues, some of the key aims and am…

Disabled people are entitled to live life to the full. They must have an opportunity to take full part in society, education, healthcare, housing, employment, justice, transport, entertainment and so on. This strategy fails to outline an urgent concrete implementation plan, and such a plan is needed if Ireland is to comply with its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of P…

I welcome the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. However, the Minister and I know that the road from here to Mayo is paved with good intentions and unimplemented strategies, many of which have been outlined here. The subsequent action plan and its implementation will be the test of whether the strategy will bring about genuine change or is just another collection of word…

I thank all Members for their contributions to this discussion. As Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, I have witnessed at first hand the passion and commitment that disabled people bring to advocating for a more inclusive Ireland, and for continually highlighting the need to provide more and better services. The Government and I are very conscious of the struggles endured by d…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — the right to education is a fundamental right for every child, as enshrined in the Irish Constitution and international conventions; — despite two Dáil motions in 2025 calling for the provision of appropriate school places for every child with additional needs in their locality, the Government has rejected these calls; — the Minister for Education has,…

I welcome the motion from Sinn Féin and the opportunity to raise these issues and concerns relating to school places for children with additional education needs. The Labour Party will absolutely support the motion. This is the third motion on this subject in 2025, including one of our own. The reality for a significant number of children with additional education needs and their parents has not c…

As the Minister of State will be aware, the programme for Government sets out quite clearly that a task force will be set up to deal with the challenges that exist in Cork city centre. There is a need for major redevelopment and for an overall plan to deal with those challenges. In real terms, a lot of progress has been made in Cork city but we need to work through how we can grow and develop the …

Everybody should be protected, particularly when they raise wrongdoing with public bodies. I think we all share that objective across the House. We have two areas of legislation between 2014 and 2022, some of which was the transposition of EU legislation and also policy direction in an Irish context. We have different points now in the context of the European review, which is happening, and the wi…

If we look at the national planning framework and all the different existing policies, it is about complementing housing delivery with community infrastructure and social infrastructure. We have had significantly increased supports for the development of social infrastructure across the State. In the last Government, we had one of the biggest interventions around developing community and sports in…

The national development plan is the State's medium- to long-term plan for public capital investment. The current national development plan to 2030 provided for public capital investment of €165 billion over the period 2021 to 2030. Government is currently prioritising an early review of this plan, to be published this month, which will set out five-year departmental capital ceilings and additiona…

I thank the Deputy for his question and Deputy McAuliffe for his interest in this matter. I thank both Deputies for their continuing interest in education. It is hugely important that it is brought to the fore in the House. Education is a hugely important part of everyone's life, so it is hugely important that we strive to get it right. The NCSE is the statutory agency with responsibility for the…

I join the Deputy in thanking all of those who work on the Leinster House campus to make this place work efficiently and effectively on behalf of the people of Ireland. I thank all the people who the people watching at home may see on their screens and the many hundreds who work in the background to make sure we have effective democracy. To everyone in this place, regardless of political perspecti…

The Bulmers analogy is important. We should always be asking if there is any added benefit from a particular layer. If there is not, it should be got rid of. For example, the Minister, Deputy James Browne, brought a proposal to Cabinet recently that there were four gates to get through social housing. That is not the case now. We got rid of the fourth, third and second gates. There is now only one…

I welcome the Bill. We support it fully but intend to table some amendments on Committee Stage which we think will strengthen it. In my constituency, particularly in the north-inner city, and in a number of other constituencies in Ireland, there is a heartbreaking sight that many of us have grown accustomed to: young people, children, teenagers, kids on scramblers, kids hanging around corners with…

On a more serious note, I thank the Minister, his team and I presume the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers for the sterling work on what I consider to be a future-proofing and highly considered safeguarding of the next generations of the country. I also express my gratitude to our juvenile liaison officers. I will name two of them from County Meath, garda Barbara Kelly and garda Aisling Conno…