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244. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to explain the relationship between the €111 million capital funding for social and affordable housing announced on 31 March and the €450 million capital funding approved for social and affordable housing by Cabinet on 18 February 2025; for a breakdown of the €111 million, by funding stream, including SHIP, CALF…

249. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the €325 million for social housing acquisitions announced on 31 March 2025 is additional to the €1.867 billion allocated to A4 SHIP, A7 CAS and A11 CALF in the revised estimates published by the Department of Finance on 19 December 2024; and if not, if this is the amount from within the revised estimates as …

250. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the capital funding for housing available to Cavan County Council for this year’s house building programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16443/25]

251. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the capital funding for housing available to Monaghan County Council for this year’s house building programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16444/25]

475. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing adaptation grants, mobility grants and housing for older people grants approved and drawn down by Kilkenny County Council in 2021 to date in 2025 and regarding volume and value, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15324/25]

476. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing adaptation grants, mobility grants and housing for older people grants that have been approved and drawn down by Carlow County Council in 2021 to date, broken down regarding volume and value, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15325/25]

488. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department has taken to identify zoned, serviced lands owned by local authorities that could be utilised for delivery of social and affordable housing in that local authority; the area of such lands and numbers of housing, by local authority area; and whether those lands are the subject of applicatio…

96. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the affordable housing scheme in light of difficulties local authorities such as Galway County Council are having in providing affordable housing, given that the affordability gain of 15% cannot be met in certain areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14475/25]

442. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on whether the commencement of a multi-stakeholder group (details supplied) on 27 March 2025 to address the range of problems affecting victims of the defective concrete block crisis is a welcome development and that it is important that his senior Department of housing officials accept the in…

469. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in light of the ongoing delay in his Department's approvals for affordable housing projects funded via SHIP, CAS, CALF, CREL and AHF, if he believes it important to deliver affordable housing units at the proposed development at Ashewood Glen, Ashbourne, County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the ma…

470. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new build homes to include both apartments and houses, both private and social housing, constructed in 2022, 2023 & 2024, in Greystones, Delgany, Kilcoole, Newcastle, Newtownmountkennedy & Roundwood; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14094/25]

472. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant housing officers, per local authority, in terms of full-time equivalent posts, in tabular form; the expenditure per local authority on addressing housing vacancy in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14142/25]

474. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to clarify the current status of the tenant-in-situ scheme; if the scheme is still in operation; the funding allocated to the scheme in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; the number of housing units purchased via the scheme in 2023 and 2024, by local authority, in tabular form; if he will provide the guidelin…

2. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm if he intends to review the housing completion target for 2025; the number of new homes his Department estimates will now be completed in 2025; the additional measures he plans to take to increase housing construction; the engagement he has had with the Department of Finance and Department of Public Ex…

3. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to comment on the ongoing delay in his Department's approvals for social and affordable housing projects funded via SHIP, CAS, CALF, CREL and AHF; to confirm the total number of projects submitted to his Department under each funding stream since September 2024 to date in 2025; the number that have been approved, …

5. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm the total delivery of affordable purchase and cost-rental homes in 2024 by local authorities, approved housing bodies and the Land Development Agency; and his views on the low output under these schemes and growing number of people unable to access these properties due to the unaffordable rents and hous…

15. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the role of accessibility officers in Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council; what oversight is in place to ensure future housing developments meet universal design standards; and if additional measures are being considered to improve accessibility in social and affordable housing…

31. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the planned provision of disability-specific housing to include all schemes such as second-hand acquisitions programme, housing adaptation grants funding and new builds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12879/25]

35. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will commence a survey to establish the number of defective concrete block homeowners in counties Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, and Limerick who cannot avail of the defective concrete block grant scheme for financial or other reasons; if he will commence a parallel survey to establish the number of …

44. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a timeline and action plan for meeting the targets to work towards ending homelessness, as agreed in the Lisbon Declaration; the additional policy measures he intends to take; if he will consider amending the Housing Act 1988 to oblige local authorities to take into account the best interests of a homeless c…

45. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the action he proposes to take regarding research received by his Department from the Housing Agency on Social Housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12686/25]

58. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the measures he is taking to increase housing supply in Kerry, including social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12782/25]

59. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the extent to which modular housing will be utilised to meet housing targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12905/25]

73. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the long-term social housing leasing scheme in the context of expenditure and a shortage in housing supply. [12914/25]

106. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports in place for persons who are victims and survivors of domestic abuse with accrued time on the housing list, but cannot accept housing in an area due to the presence of their abuser and on advice from An Garda Síochána, but who do not wish to lose the years accrued; and if he will make a statement…

As we know, housing production is the number one priority for the Government as is reflected in the programme for Government. Ireland's housing need is real and we need to consider all methods of construction to deliver the targets we set out in the programme for Government. We have to increase housing supply, improve sustainability and boost construction productivity. A recent report by the Natio…

When the Minister's predecessor entered office, there was a debate about whether there was a housing crisis. Ultimately, he accepted that there was a housing crisis. In truth, we have had a housing crisis and a housing emergency for seven or eight years, maybe longer, but we have never had an emergency response. The Minister may protest about that, but, as a society, we have had emergency response…

I do not think I have had the opportunity to congratulate the Minister in the House so I will start by doing so and wishing him well in his new role. I wish him great success. I am sure he will make a success of it because I know him to be an honest and decent character. Is there a doctor in the House? I feel a bit faint because I found myself agreeing with Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett and I may n…

There is now a mountain of evidence that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael deliberately misrepresented housing delivery figures during the election. The Taoiseach cannot continue to deny it. This is a Comical Ali routine he is playing in pretending it was somehow an honest mistake. Not content with massaging last year's figures, the targets for this year are now being clearly reverse engineered. When the …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach and I welcome the opportunity to say a cúpla focal ar an tuarascáil seo. Sa chéad dul síos tá sé ráite sa tuarascáil seo go gcaithfí céim úr a ghlacadh ó thaobh cúrsaí tithíochta mar tá a fhios againn ón méid atá ag tarlú agus an méid a thit amach leis an Rialtas go bhfuil teip iomlán ar an Rialtas ó thaobh cúrsaí tithíochta de. Cífimid praghsanna …

I acknowledge the members of the commission for producing such a detailed and thought-provoking report. It offers a serious critique of the previous Government as well as the current one. The commission's report states that there have been systematic failures and ineffective decision-making in the Government's housing policy but this only confirms what we already know. The report also states that…

I am thankful to have the opportunity to speak on the report today. The discourse on housing is often influenced by numbers, namely the number of people experiencing homelessness, the number of homes delivered below the Government's target in 2024, the falling number of planning permissions and commencement notices, the number of workers and apprentices needed, the number of recommendations in the…

I wish the Minister nothing but the best in the years to come because what is ahead is the biggest crisis this country has ever seen when it comes to housing. When reading the Housing Commission report, I was shocked to find no mention of the defective concrete block crisis. The thousands of houses that have been impacted by this crisis are not mentioned once in the 250-page report. It is an absol…

I thank the Minister of State very much for his reply. I know all the reasons he has given for why a tenant would have to leave, but in practice it is very hard to get that through and to get the house back. As I said about the road from Kenmare through Kilgarvan and down to within five miles of Killarney, it is just one road and I believe there are hundreds of houses, even in Killarney itself, th…

I will use my time to focus on a few of the recommendations of the Housing Commission’s report. I note there have been some important policy changes in recent years - the introduction of cost rental housing, the vacant property refurbishment grant and the new land hoarding tax – but we still have a dysfunctional housing market. People are still struggling significantly to access home ownership and…

Almost every single week, I have listened to the Taoiseach responding in a very tedious manner to legitimate questions from the Opposition, including ourselves in the Social Democrats. He asks where our solutions are and what we would do differently. I have a simple question now. Where is the housing Minister? It is becoming farcical at this point. Parliamentary debate means that we present in our…

I thank the Social Democrats for bringing this motion. There are six basic asks in their motion. They are pretty basic when we have a housing crisis with just under 15,000 people homeless. Homeless accommodation in Galway is at capacity and people are waiting between 15 and 20 years. People are living in tents. People are living in cars. People are sleeping on couches. I have talked more on this s…

I wish the three Ministers well in their new portfolios. I welcome this morning's announcement on modular homes and log cabins but there is one thing I cannot fathom. I hear it is 40 sq. m. The modular homes being built at the moment are 600 sq. ft, which is 60 sq. m. I do not know why it is 20 sq. m less but I still welcome it because it is going to help people. Let us give praise when praise is …

If the Taoiseach cannot even win over his colleagues in Fine Gael, he is in big trouble. This is the party that transcribed developer lobby documents and turned them into government policy. Fine Gael was also the first to roll out the red carpet for investment funds and it has consistently failed to close tax loopholes exploited by international investors. However, even Fine Gael Ministers are bau…

This devastating housing crisis was created by the privatisation of public housing by Fianna Fáil under the then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Local authorities were prevented from building social and affordable housing for more than 20 years and this policy was continued by successive Governments. The housing crisis is undermining the social fabric of Irish society. Everybody says repeatedly that housi…

I thank the Deputy for her question. To set out the context on housing supply, it has significantly increased since 2020, with 130,000 new homes delivered in that period. Everyone on the Government benches and across the House was disappointed with the final numbers for 2024, which were less than what we expected. However, it is not true to say that we missed our Housing for All targets. The overa…

Politics is never boring, anyway. It is a very long time since I have had the opportunity to address the House from up here. I spent many years on these backbenches. The place looks a lot different when viewed from here than from the Chair below, where I sat for a while. A Chléirigh na Dála agus mo chomhghleacaithe, is breá liom an deis seo a fháil cúpla focal a rá roimh an toghchán tábhachtach a…

I thank Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, for taking this debate late on a Thursday evening, on the last sitting day of this term. I would like to talk about the town of Swords in north County Dublin. It is the third largest town by population in Ireland, but it is still treated culturally like a small village with a few airport workers in it. I am not sure how familiar the Minister of State is w…

I thank all the Members who contributed. I reiterate - and it is not disingenuous to say - that I genuinely hear what they are saying. The proposal makes sense. I hope as well, however, that they will understand that, yes, we were able to do a focused protocol on people fleeing gender-based violence and domestic abuse. I might come back to some of the issues Deputy O'Reilly raised specifically. Th…

I thank Deputy Quaide for the work he has done to bring forward this motion and, indeed, the commitment of the Social Democrats to prioritising people with disabilities through its policies and what it does. We should be straight here. The Irish State has never treated disabled people as equal citizens of this Republic. One or both of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has been in government since the fou…

Theoretically, I have no issue with this Bill or with the basic principle of codifying circulars around access to emergency accommodation and social housing eligibility. I do, however, have a big issue with the Minister using the motion to instruct. This is the second time this has happened in a year. I am only in this House a short time. The Minister has effectively tacked a whole new Bill onto a…

As I was reading through the entire Bill earlier today and over the weekend, memories started flooding back into my mind, stories of my grandparents, their parents, the republican struggles and the stories of their involvement in republicanism in Cork. In the house where I grew up, The Wolfe Tones was the only record played on a regular basis. I welcome this Bill. I truly do because it has merit.…

I thank the Deputy for the question. It is good to see some focus on housing delivery in the rebel county. Increasing the supply of new homes is critical to alleviating pressures in the housing market, helping to moderate price growth and ease affordability challenges, ensuring everyone has a range of housing options available to them, whether they want to buy a house, rent one or are in need of s…

I thank Deputy Doherty for his question and I thank the Oireachtas committee on housing for its work. The committee report published this morning makes 14 recommendations. Of course, we will work our way through the report and consider all of the recommendations, as we do with all committee reports. Page 5 of the report states that these committee recommendations arise from hearings held on 16 De…

I thank Deputy Stanley. Firstly can I say, because fair is fair, that Laois is a good performer when it comes to housing. I have my sheet here. There is nowhere to hide here, by the way. The data is there. It shows who is doing a good job and who is not doing a good job. Laois has actually done quite a good job in relation to dereliction. I think there were 13 derelict sites levied during the year…