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402. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can provide an update on consideration of buying homes in the Connemara area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16129/26]

403. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 399 of 19 February 2026, if the information requested can be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16131/26]

404. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm if Lough Corrib and the River Corrib in County Galway still retain their “salmonid waters” designation as granted by his legacy Department under S.I. No. 293/1988 - European Communities (Quality of Salmonid Waters) Regulations (1988); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16163/26]

405. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to list all sporting/recreational clubs in County Galway that the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) has directly engaged with since 2020, regarding the threat of non-piscine invasive species to the ecology of Lough Corrib SAC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16164/26]

658. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the baseline data identified for measuring the impact of the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction; the specific quantitative target indicators to be used in assessing uptake of MMC in public housing delivery, training throughput, and cost and time efficiencies; an…

153. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details of all occasions in which he or his predecessors exercised the power conferred on them under Section 15(3) of the Climate Action & Low Carbon Development Act (2015), which states that ‘the relevant Minister may, from time to time, give a direction to a relevant body requiring it to adopt s…

154. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which local authorities will assist in delivering START programme projects in Kildare north, particularly in the Clane-Maynooth area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14770/26]

155. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if considering his recent media comments about getting families out of homeless accommodation and preventing families from entering homelessness, the measures he is taking to ensure this happens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15378/26]

156. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when homeowners who have spent money since March 2024 under the defective concrete block grant scheme will be reimbursed up to the new maximum cap, following the passing of recent legislation. [15384/26]

157. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to situations where property sales cannot be completed in estates where the owners’ management company is no longer active or compliant and no letter of intent can yet be provided for the future remediation of the local developer-provided wastewater infrastructure; the measures h…

158. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if plans have been reviewed for responding to extreme weather events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12522/26]

159. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will confirm if Wicklow County Council have been given a budget for tenant-in-situ applications and if it is available for new applications (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15392/26]

160. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to address an issue raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15425/26]

161. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the drafting and publication of revised wind farm guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15427/26]

162. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if and when he became aware that the HSE 2017 position paper; Wind Turbines and Public Health had been withdrawn; if he is aware that developers continue to rely on this now-withdrawn document in planning applications; the steps he will take to address the resulting regulatory gap to maintain public confidenc…

163. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to set out the policy in his Department regarding the use of artificial intelligence; whether AI is used or permitted in drawing up policy documents, speeches, answers to parliamentary questions, press releases or for other official documents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15621/26]

148. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether funding schemes are available for communal heating schemes that wish to change from gas-fired to heat pumps in individual houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14752/26]

187. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the input his Department has had into the development of solar energy development guidelines as initiated by the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14620/26]

242. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department had any engagement with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the issue of EV charging for homes without driveways during the development of his private wires legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14382/26]

270. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Defence the number of outsourced services in the Defence Forces and the plans to bring them back in-house; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14547/26]

276. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence her views on a request for a tenant purchase of a house owned by her Department (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15009/26]

315. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has examined the legislative and policy implications of extending the statutory remit of the Road Safety Authority to enable the collection and publication of data on serious injuries and fatalities involving mechanically propelled vehicles in public places other than public roads, including parks, housing estates and …

377. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether any proposal to introduce continuous, real-time, or expanded withholding tax reporting obligations beyond existing statutory arrangements would require primary legislation approved by the Houses of the Oireachtas [14607/26]

389. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will report on the progress of the housing investment and policy impact working group. [14452/26]

419. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for an update on the reinstatement of the external wrought iron gates at the Merrion Street and Kildare Street entrances to Leinster House and at the Merrion Street entrance to Government Buildings; to provide an update on the projected timeframe for reinstatement in each …

16. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if new EE-zoned land will be identified in tandem with industrial land rezonings for housing to enable relocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35806/25]

I thank Deputy Ward and I assure him, representatives from Donegal, the consultants and doctors in Letterkenny and the people of Donegal more broadly that I will do precisely that. I am committed to that region. That is why I visited it a number of weeks into becoming Minister for Health in order to understand for myself. I cannot look at it on a map or look at drawings. I have to be there to unde…

I thank the Deputy. The Oireachtas broadcasting unit, as the Deputy knows, is a matter for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission. All parties are represented at that commission. Those are ultimately the people who have responsibility for the operation and running of the Oireachtas. It would not be appropriate for me to cut across the Ceann Comhairle and members of the Oireachtas commission. In …

Before I call on Deputy Rice, I want to reply to Deputy Smith. When we have an exchange such as that which eats into the time available, I assure the House that the time of the Deputies who follow will not be cut. They have the right to speak in this House regardless of what happens.

Please be assured that I have been here a long time and I have seen what is brought up in relation to Bills. I was made aware of this Garda operation some time ago. It was months ago, long before this young man took his own life. Members will be aware that journalist John Lee wrote about it in the Mail on Sunday. So much has happened in this case that does not add up. This creates a nervousness fo…

I thank Deputies for their engagement on the Bill and in particular Deputy Farrell who worked on it. It has been useful to have the opportunity to discuss public procurement on the floor of the Dáil, important considerations for it and how the Government can ensure better services for the people who come here to live and work and who are born and live here. It is important that we make sure that p…

First, I will mention the survey results. The Minister of State mentioned that she dealt with the Dublin local authorities. I cannot remember - I would not say it in this House anyway - exactly who responded in what way but there was a very clear lack of understanding. I am happy to meet with the Minister of State and share my results in a way that shows her how little information is out there, no…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity to remind the House on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth of the significant challenges facing us in meeting increasing demand for pupil places throughout the country. As the Deputy raised the issue of Portmarnock in the coming years, I am grateful for the opportunity to clarify the position on the provision of pri…

I thank Mark Nolan and John Campbell for helping us out. I thank each of the speakers, whether they spoke for or against the motion. I thank them for spending the time. I will address a few of the issues raised by the Minister. Three years ago I came into the Dáil and today RTÉ is reporting that we are now in trouble. To build a house, a site has to be dug out. Stone and concrete are needed. It is…

I want the Deputy to know that Irish passports and citizenship are not granted easily. I am sure that if the Minister for foreign affairs were here, he would confirm that is true of passports. With regard to citizenship, many colleagues in this House ask me about citizenship applications. They criticise how long they take and ask why the process is so lengthy. The reason is that you have to do ver…

We are aware of the issue regarding the Oireachtas broadcasters. It cannot be an easy job. As a party, Fianna Fáil supports what they seek. We have written to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission. It is ultimately a matter for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to respond to these issues. I believe the commission will engage with them. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue.

I move amendment No. 1: To insert the following after "ending on 29th June, 2026": "; and — calls on the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to bring forward legislation to give effect to the recommendations of the Independent Review Group without further delay.". The continued use of emergency powers and essentially outdated legislation has long been criticised. It is disappointi…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: “Report on the accessibility of the local property tax exemption for those affected by defective concrete blocks 3. The Minister shall, within 3 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on the accessibility of the local property tax exemption for those affected by defectiv…

I thank the Deputy for making clear his and the Social Democrats' support for the principles underlying local property tax and their support for the value of trying to protect and broaden the tax base. This amendment would require the Minister for Finance to lay a report before the House compiling statistical information on patterns and quantities of residential property ownership and to set out …

A key function of the local property tax is not simply to collect revenue, but to fund local services. That has been clear from the outset. If the point is to fund local services but people do not get those services where they live because the local authority has not taken their area in charge, then of course there is a strong rationale for the way the local property tax is designed to reflect tha…

I give a warm welcome to the Little Blue Heroes who are with us in Leinster House today or watching online. I commend the gardaí involved in the organisation. I hope they have a pleasant day with us. This week, primary school children across the country will be released from school for their summer holidays. They will wave goodbye to teachers, SNAs and classrooms and put away their schoolbags and…

There is a consensus across housing charities that this would make a difference to families. For years, successive housing Ministers have delayed on this Bill.

Over the last five years since Fianna Fáil came back into government we have built close to 48,000 social houses - delivered. That is the most in 40 years. You would have to go back to the 1970s to get that level of social housing construction, but we need more because the population has increased. That is a factor in this. The composition of those presenting for homelessness and emergency accommo…

The Deputy has not spoken to me about this case before now. Perhaps he can send the details to me. I am not clear whether the local authority has been approached in respect of this case and whether Jennifer was on the social housing list. It should be very possible to accommodate an 88-year-old in a council house. I do not know the background but it seems to me there is an obvious solution.

I will engage with the Minister for housing on the specifics. Is this a series of houses?

It is a series of one-off houses. They are not all together. There is one block, then a number of individual houses. I will provide the details to the Taoiseach's office.

I think Deputy McAuliffe was the first contributor. He raised pensions and pensioners' input into their pension issues. It has been an ongoing concern for pensioners generally across the economy, particularly for public sector pensioners or those in agencies and so forth. There is a sense that once they leave employment, they lack any real influence over their pensions in the future. I will raise …

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — the 1998 Good Friday Agreement recognises the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves, and be accepted as, Irish or British, or both; and — the Fifth Report of the Convention on the Constitution - Amending the Constitution to give citizens resident outside the State the right to vote in Presidential elections at Irish emb…

Everyone in this House opposes partition, or at least they pay lip service to that position. Partition was a disaster for our country and the sooner it is ended, the better. That is the viewpoint from which we should approach this debate on presidential voting rights. Irish citizens are denied the right to vote for the President simply because they live in the North. This seriously undermines thei…

I thank Sinn Féin for introducing this motion. The Social Democrats will support it. Democracy is something we must strive to keep in a world where we see it being eroded and erased. Voting in elections is fundamental to democracy. The decision to extend voting rights to people has been a battle, particularly for women, over the past 100 years. Last year was a bumper year of elections. We had lo…