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391. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps being taken by his Department to address ‘unfavourable’ conservation status of 90% of Ireland’s protected habitats, according to the “The Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland, 2025: Summary Report”; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13963/26]

392. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the cessation of turf cutting compensation schemes as the payment period concludes for many applicants; if a replacement support is being considered; if so, the details of any such support or supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13431/26]

393. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the National Flood Forecasting and Warning Service; the amount expended on the development of the service to date; the schedule of the persons and entities that have contributed to its development; and the date on which it is targeted to go live for the general public to access the service [13446/26]

394. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the date his Department decided to conclude centralised monitoring of the ‘room for a student – local authority tenancies scheme’ after December 2024; the analysis or performance metrics informed that decision; whether any formal submission, briefing note, or internal recommendation supported that decision; and w…

395. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the administrative costs incurred by his Department and local authorities in developing, promoting, and operating the ‘room for a student – local authority tenancies scheme’ between December 2023 and December 2024; whether any value-for-money review has been conducted; and whether the cost per additional room del…

396. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the formal reporting framework now exists, if any, to provide his Department with ongoing national oversight of the scheme’s performance; whether any standardised reporting template has been issued to local authorities; and the way he satisfies himself that the scheme remains operational and effective across all …

397. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will request an update from the DCB Appeals Panel to provide the number of appeals made to 31 January 2026; the numbers of decisions made; the average waiting time for those decisions, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13476/26]

399. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline each section of enacted legislation, where the responsibility lies in the Minister to commence that section, that has not been commenced; if he will outline each section of enacted legislation which provides for the making of regulations by the Minister that have not been made by the Minist…

400. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if can provide an update on the inclusion of homes in Skerries and Rush in the defective blocks scheme; the timeline for the application process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13612/26]

401. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding for Galway County Council in 2025, and each local authority in the State for comparison, in tabular form. [13637/26]

403. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether reviews were undertaken at the end of phase one and phase two of the National Landscape Strategy 2015–2025; if so, to provide an update on Ireland’s ongoing obligations under the European Landscape Convention (ELC) and how these are being fulfilled following the conclusion of the National Landscape Strat…

404. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to the release of the Coastal Change Management Strategy Report in 2023, to provide an update on the development of Ireland’s National Coastal Change Management Strategy; the current status of the Strategy, which is overdue; the expected timeline for its publication; the current position of the National …

405. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether a formal policy decision was taken in 2025 to reduce or limit the use of tenant-in-situ acquisitions under the Second-Hand Acquisitions Programme; if so, the date of that decision; whether Cabinet approval was sought; and the policy rationale underpinning the change [13854/26]

406. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total capital allocation provided for tenant-in-situ acquisitions in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; the originally approved allocation for 2026; whether any revised spending ceiling has been issued to local authorities for 2025 or 2026, by local authority. [13855/26]

407. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of tenant-in-situ acquisitions completed nationally in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; the number approved but not yet completed; and the number of applications refused or withdrawn in each year. [13856/26]

408. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the Department has undertaken any assessment of the impact of reduced tenant-in-situ acquisitions on entries into emergency accommodation in 2025; and if so, if he will publish that assessment. [13857/26]

409. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any circular, directive or written guidance was issued to local authorities in 2025 limiting, prioritising or redefining the criteria for tenant-in-situ acquisitions; and if so, if he will provide a copy of that guidance. [13858/26]

410. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether funding previously allocated for tenant-in-situ acquisitions has been reallocated to the Buy and Renew programme; the value of any such reallocation; and the policy justification for that shift [13859/26]

411. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average acquisition cost per dwelling under the tenant-in-situ approach in 2023, 2024 and 2025; and how this compares to the average cost per dwelling under the Buy and Renew programme in the same period [13860/26]

412. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the Government intends to continue the tenant-in-situ approach as a core homelessness prevention measure in 2026; and if so, what target number of acquisitions has been set [13861/26]

418. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has identified any structural, legal, financial, or administrative constraints that limit the effective use of the Land Acquisition Fund by local authorities, including issues related to site viability, timing, valuation, or co-funding requirements; and if he will outline any steps taken t…

421. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to clarify the administrative boundaries that will be used to determine towns in excess of 20,000 people for the purposes of regulating short-term rentals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13326/26]

481. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding any work ongoing in his Department in relation to the illegal and improper care and housing of horses and other animals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13718/26]

495. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will rule out any unilateral move to ban or restrict tail docking in the Irish pig sector without full compensation, revised housing standards and market premiums for producers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13922/26]

622. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 2164 of 13 January 2026, whether her Department will require the HSE to report quarterly to the Department the estimated cost to the Health Vote of bed days lost associated with delayed transfers of care, including type E homelessness and housing support categories; and, if not, to state the reason cost rep…

I will raise that matter with the Minister for housing. The information I have does cover off where we are with our State agencies but does not deal with the local authorities at the level the Deputy has just referred to, and, in particular, the specific case to which he referred. I accept that for our more elderly citizens who need to use local authorities and other services, not being able to us…

At the heart of these questions lies an opportunity to link the provision of childcare places with the provision of new housing. Childcare needs a big idea that can deliver capacity at scale and value for money. I am not interested in the big chains that can do that already but in public supply and in supporting community crèches and the providers, primarily women, who have been running our smalle…

As I was going to say before I had to conclude, there is a local bargaining provision that allows management and unions to negotiate changes to pay and terms and conditions up to a maximum of 3% of pay costs for the relevant grade. The first instalment under this provision, equivalent to 1% of pay costs, is due to be implemented from 1 September 2025 and negotiations are commencing at local level …

I thank Deputy Ó Muirí for raising this matter. I express concern about the remarks reported in the Irish Independent today by the Secretary General of the Department of energy. It is not about a choice between housing and AI. We need to build housing but we also need to prepare for our tech future. This is also, by the way, the same Department that is responsible for the development of renewable …

We are going to produce a new housing plan in July. Deputy Doherty can be quite assured that part of that new housing plan will be significant additional funding and enabling provisions for Irish Water and, indeed, for energy. We have been clear, and we were very clear in the election, about what we would do with the proceeds from the Apple account in terms of how that money would be deployed. I …

To add insult to injury, we have a person from an approved housing body, the largest in the State, taking to the national airwaves saying that 3,000 social and affordable houses will not be delivered as a result of red tape, bureaucracy and delays by the Minister and his Department.

Between now and the month of July, we are going to work on a housing plan; not a glossy document but a targeted list of actions we can take in relation to water, energy and planning that will get us to 300,000 homes. I assure Deputies we have the money and capital to make this happen. What we now need is political support across this House and in communities to drive on delivery.

I raise the critical issue of whether we are getting value for money from our infrastructural investment. As public representatives, we have a responsibility to ensure that every euro of taxpayers' money is spent wisely and delivers tangible, lasting benefits for communities. Over the past decade, we have witnessed unprecedented levels of capital investment in public infrastructure - roads, public…

The honest answer is "Yes". We need to be more ambitious. While these are judgment calls the Minister will no doubt get right in the time ahead, with Government colleagues, we also need to recognise that projects announced today obviously have a lead-in time. This Government wants to deliver 300,000 new homes by 2030. In order to fulfil that, we are going to have to press "go" on crucial water and…

As I have said in the House in the past, I represent Dublin Mid-West, one of the fastest growing constituencies in the country. I wish to ask the Tánaiste about secondary school places for the people of Newcastle, which is the fastest growing town in Europe. At the county development plan stage in 2022, it was forecast that by 2028, 5,000 people would be living there. However, the most recent cens…

I very much welcome the opportunity to address the House matters relating to flooding. As Deputies are aware, this is a priority issue for the Government. We are focused on the delivery of flood relief management measures to address flooding issues for communities across the country. I will be brief in outlining some of the relevant context, achievements and challenges in relation to actions that …

I will pick up where Deputy John Connolly left off and talk about a number of schemes in Cork. It frustrates the life out of people that they are waiting ten, 12 or 15 years for these schemes, from concept through to design and being built. I accept that it is not straightforward. As Deputy Connolly noted, there are concerns about special areas of conservation and inland fisheries and a myriad of …

We face extreme weather and flooding has become more severe and recurring across the State. From the Shannon Basin to coastal towns and rural communities, the devastation caused by rising waters continues to impact families, livelihoods and local economies. Climate change, inadequate infrastructure and years of Government inaction have left too many communities vulnerable. Last year, 2024, was the…

I wish to address something to which reference has already been made, namely our climate targets. This is a matter I have already spoken about. We know it will be beneficial for the Government if we invest millions of euro in our ports and expand them. While there is going to be huge offshore renewable energy coming into the Port of Cork, the latter is not a viable location for brining in the big …

I absolutely would. A window is now opening because we have seen a step change in the UK, France and Canada over the past week or ten days in respect of their perspective on Gaza, the genocide, what is happening there and what needs to happen. We have also seen a step change in Germany, especially in our sister party of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, SDP. The Chancellor has made interesti…

I agree with everything the Deputy said on this matter. I fully acknowledge that very country has a right, even an obligation, in regard to its national security. However, that cannot become a cover for not providing assistance that could and should be provided. This House and successive Governments have constructively put forward proposals as to how that access to information could be provided. N…

There is no doubt they are essential and welcome when they come but they are not enough. That is the reality. I need the Minister of State, the Minister and Department to hear that. Schools are screaming from the rooftops. All you need to do is look at the Dáil record and see the number of times school funding has been raised by Deputies across the House. I think there is a former school principal…

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 Ciarán Ahern - To discuss water infrastructure in Knocklyon, south Dublin. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss plans has for surplus lands/buildings at the former St. Finan's campus, Killarney, County Kerry. Deputy John Brady - To d…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: condemns the actions of the Israeli Government in Gaza, and the destruction and conditions of famine they have wrought on the Palestinian people, resulting in starvation, disease and death; repeats its condemnation of the brutal attacks by Hamas in Israel on 7th October, 2023, its declaration that the taking of hostages is unconscionable, and its call for the release …

I second the motion and commend my colleague Deputy Smith and all in the Labour Party for drafting and bringing it before the House. The Labour Party has provided as many options as it can to Government to take further action against Israel and its campaign of genocide. With more than 50,000 Palestinians murdered and their infrastructure and society being wiped out around them, I struggle to imagi…

We need a step change. Someone needs to lead the international community in a different way. I thank Deputy Duncan Smith for bringing forward our motion. It will be voted on tonight and we want everyone to support it. We need to lead that step change. Our proud history as a country in trying to lead on international change, international relations and peacekeeping dictates that we have a moral dut…

No one in this House should be seeking some sort of moral superiority over others in this House.

Last year, approximately 1,500 houses were acquired in tenant in situ situations. This scheme has only been in place for a very short period of time. There has been a very rapid expansion of the scheme. I am not criticising local authorities. Many availed of the scheme and pushed forward with its delivery. We saw a record number of new social homes constructed in 2023, as well as local authority …

As I have said repeatedly, before the previous Government came to office, approximately 19,000 to 20,000 houses were being built per annum. It is now well over 30,000 houses, which is a significant change in momentum. This is mainly because of State investment at an unprecedented scale. We have a clear focus in terms of what we need to do. It is in terms of maintaining and increasing public expend…

We will be bringing forward a series of proposals - the decision yesterday on planning was a good one - and further initiatives on housing. I hope we will get the support of the House as we implement those decisions.