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509. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason his Department has not sanctioned the purchase of 17 homes in Milford, County Donegal by an approved housing body to house families on the local social housing list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65206/25]

542. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the controls in place to ensure value for money in approved housing bodies-delivered housing projects funded under Delivering Homes, Building Communities; the audit mechanisms applied; and the criteria used to approve per-unit funding for approved housing bodies schemes. [64403/25]

557. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage the position regarding housing supports for persons who fall outside existing schemes, but do not make enough money to compete in the housing market in the context of unprecedented housing prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62838/25]

605. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the housing proposal from Wicklow County Council at Rehills Land, Bray, County Wicklow which was recently refused funding by the Housing Agency will now be reviewed by the Housing Activation Office; if funding will be made available to enable this project to progress; and if he will make a statement on the matt…

323. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide the dates on which meetings took place of the Housing Activation Office; the Housing Activation Delivery Group and the Housing Activation Industry Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62518/25]

1050. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that homeowners that have received emails from the Housing Agency, confirming that third party chartered engineering consultancy services providers have apparently experienced a cyber incident affecting its IT systems (details supplied); if he will urgently seek absolute assurance from the Housin…

208. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current estimate for housing completions in 2025 and 2026; the variance between those estimates and the published Housing for All targets; the latest national and regional house-price-to-earnings ratios; and his Department’s assessment of the impact of non-indexation of the standard rate income-tax band on af…

50. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the significant challenge that coastal community members face in competing for housing within their own communities due to national and international demand for second and/or holiday homes, if he will consider developing a scheme to provide affordable long-term State owned rental properties for coastal commun…

54. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the increasing number of older persons who are falling into homelessness, particularly in Galway; the way in which he will support older persons in accessing secure and affordable housing given that the number of persons reaching pension age in precarious housing situations w…

536. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on proposals to review planning laws in relation to permitting the installation of cabin-type accommodation in back gardens to temporarily house family members who cannot source housing elsewhere in view of the current housing crisis; if he will confirm that permissions will be grant…

648. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current percentage of Ireland’s total housing stock that is in public, affordable, or cooperative housing; how this compares with European peers such as Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands; and whether he intends to adopt best practice models to expand non-market housing options. [47951/25]

1123. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if south Kerry in conjunction with an organisation (details supplied) where the organisation has access to lands locally, can be used as a pilot area for the development of cluster type housing and community housing with services in order to provide urgently needed housing in the area; and if he will make a s…

1212. Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether a person who has recently been approved for social housing can have their payment transferred under the housing assistance payment, notwithstanding they are currently in receipt of emergency rental supplement as this payment was approved before they were approved on the housing list; and if he will make…

1457. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to list all housing support schemes available to households whose incomes exceed the social housing and fall below affordable housing thresholds. [41442/25]

1502. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage following the decision by Limerick city and county council to pause all applications for housing adaptation grants for older people and disabled people, with the exception of housing adaption grants, mobility aid grants and emergency applications under the housing aid for older people, due to a lack of funding…

1655. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has approved a prohibition on purchase of second-hand dwellings by approved housing bodies (AHBs) under the capital acquisitions scheme (CAS); if he is aware that such a prohibition will impact most on AHBs that provide homes for people with disabilities and will result in thwarting progress in housing …

1687. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the designation of recipients of HAP housing as having their housing needs met, to allow them to remain on social housing waiting lists and be assessed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44225/25]

9. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if statistics, by county, are available from local authorities on the number of refusals of first and second offers of social housing by applicants on the housing list, in tabular form; the impact such refusals have on local authority housing services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35835/25]

493. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of capital investment in housing in 2024 and 2025 respectively by programme, in tabular form; to outline any additional capital investment in housing carried out by local authorities, the LDA and approved housing bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33759/25]

791. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of new Housing First tenancies created in each of the years 2016 to 2024 and to date in 2025, with a breakdown by local authority area; the total number of active Housing First tenancies currently operating in each local authority area; and if he will provide the Housing First targets for each l…

854. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social housing projects that will now be transferred from the Peter McVerry Trust to local authorities and other approved housing bodies; to provide a breakdown of this by local authority area and number of units; and the number of social housing projects that will now not proceed as a result of th…

542. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a detailed update on actions taken by his Department to ensure compliance with the European Convention of Human Rights on foot of their decision in the Collective Complaint FIDH v Ireland Complaint no 110/2014 and its decision in 2017 finding the Irish State failed to take sufficient and timely measur…

16. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for confirmation as to when the social housing thresholds in County Laois are to rise, as there is still quite a number of people on housing lists who are over the threshold by a small amount, and many who are getting on in age worrying that if they do not qualify for social housing, they will become homeless du…

109. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to issue a full report on the capacity of water and wastewater for all of the towns and villages in a county (details supplied); if the lack of progress in water and wastewater infrastructure projects will be addressed urgently given the current housing crisis; if the possibility will be explored of allowing buil…

699. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will now formally declare a national housing emergency, and commit to convening a cross-party housing emergency taskforce with executive powers to fast-track public housing delivery. [23354/25]

I echo the Minister of State's sentiments. The Opposition has been calling for a debate on housing for a while and has accused the Government of avoiding and not having the debate. When we eventually have it, one Opposition Member graces the benches. Well done, Deputy Ó Broin. There is no one here from the Social Democrats or the Labour Party. That is disappointing. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhai…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: notes that: — increasing the overall housing supply is key to addressing the housing challenge and preventing and ultimately eliminating long-term homelessness, and the clear focus of Government must therefore remain on increasing the supply of new build social and affordable homes; — notwithstanding…

I thank Deputy Murphy and People Before Profit for bringing forward this Bill. When we look at housing conditions in the private rental sector, we see that there is an absolute tsunami of situations where people are living in substandard accommodation. I have met people living in the private rental sector who are living with mould and damp. As the Minister of State will know, this is significant b…

I thank the Minister for being here this evening to hear our requests. We need to thank him for the money that has been allocated. People will say there is a budget every day but the budget is about being fair. I know that Government has tried to do its best and to be as fair as possible. There is a complaint out there in a lot of people's minds that the working-class people, workers with rising …

The Social Democrats are happy to support this increase to the borrowing ceiling for the Housing Finance Agency. It is the correct thing to do, but it is limited. We would like it to be higher. We believe there needs to be a significant increase in the delivery of social and affordable housing beyond what is currently being delivered and financed. Many questions are being asked at the moment abou…

I thank the House for the debate on the report of the Housing Commission and the views put forward throughout it. I once again express my appreciation to the commission members for their time, effort and commitment. It is clear from the views expressed during the debate that there is much we agree upon about where we must get to. That said, it is unsurprising that we are not all agreed, given the …

I very much welcome this debate, which is long overdue. I also welcome the Deputy Browne to his new role as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I wish him well. We should have had this debate months ago, before the election. The Housing Commission's report is as clear as it is stark in relation to the Government's failure on housing. It is abundantly clear that we do need a perio…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and echo the comments of my colleague, Deputy Kelly, about Tony Maher. This programme for Government contains more reviews than the RTÉ Guide and offers little in the way of hope for renters, people on the housing list or people languishing in hotels, especially in my city, Limerick. It offers more of the same and does not contain anything remotely res…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The idea behind the social housing passport is a very simple one. It allows people on local authority housing waiting lists or in receipt of social housing supports like the housing assistance payment, HAP, and the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, to be able to move from one local authority to another and to take their years on the list or on tr…

I move: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Programme for Government commits to continue and accelerate Social Housing regeneration schemes in Dublin, and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage continues and commits to support regeneration projects submitted by Dublin City Council (DCC) that do not result in any significant…

I thank all the Deputies who have made contributions in the House over the last while. A lot of them summarised some of the challenges we face, including the need to urgently ramp up supply, quite well. There is clearly a common theme among Deputies' contributions, that is, a desire to make housing affordable, to increase supply and to reduce and eventually end homelessness. That has come through …

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am delighted to move this Bill. I will start by thanking Deputy Cian O'Callaghan and his parliamentary assistant, Jack Sweeney, and my own parliamentary assistant, Ellen O'Doherty, for their work on this Bill. It is a privilege to bring this Bill before the House on Second Stage; it is my first Bill before the Dáil. It is very apt that it is th…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — the housing and homelessness crisis is getting worse; — house prices, rents, council waiting lists and homelessness are all rising; — the Government continue to miss their social and affordable housing target, targets that are too low to begin with; — tens of thousands of homes are lying vacant and derelict in every city and county; — the lack of aff…

I welcome the opportunity to examine the report prepared by the Housing Commission. I also welcome Deputy Browne's appointment as Minister for housing. I have no doubt he will carry on the transformative agenda started by his predecessor, Deputy O'Brien. The Housing Commission report is based over two years of deliberation by the commission and includes 83 recommendations, together with hundreds …

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: acknowledges that: - Housing for All - A new Housing Plan for Ireland, sets out an ambitious multi-annual programme that seeks to deliver more than 300,000 new homes between 2022 and 2030; - while the policy aim is to reach, if not exceed, the target in each successive year, the primary goal is to ma…

Fáiltím roimh an deis plé a dhéanamh ar sholáthar tithíochta i gceantair Ghaeltachta. Ní chuirfidh an Rialtas in aghaidh an rúin seo maidir leis an ngá práinneach le tithíocht agus le pleananna an Rialtais an soláthar tithíochta a mhéadú go suntasach ar fud na tíre, lena n-áirítear ceantair Ghaeltachta. Le comhaontú an Tí, leanfaidh mé ar aghaidh le mo ráiteas i mBéarIa. My colleague, the Ministe…

I genuinely do not know where to start. I was flabbergasted by what the Tánaiste said earlier on about this Government apparently being on the side of renters, when we know that IRES REIT owns 3,627 properties and made €49.7 million in profit last year. It said that it welcomes Government's proactive approach because its portfolio is currently 20% undervalued and it has a potential 25% rental inco…

In Limerick, the average price of a three-bed, semi-detached house is now €345,000. It has gone up 13.8% in a year. It has gone up 40% in five years. This issue of bulk buying by investors is one of the reasons behind house price inflation in Limerick. Some experts say it can account for up to 20%, or one third, of house price inflation. Why did the Government take some action in 2021? It is impo…

I am pleased to speak on the Finance Bill. It gives effect to many of the announcements made in the budget two short weeks ago. If we needed any convincing that budget 2025 was all about the pending election, budget 2026, a bare budget for working people, and the associated Finance Bill prove the point beyond any doubt. This time last year, billions in once-off payments were thrown around in a tra…

I apologise for being slightly late for the debate. A very important session of the housing committee is taking place. The Housing Commission, after almost a year of delay and being ignored by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, is finally giving a very interesting session. I will refer to some of that in my testimony here. With respect to the remarks of the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, it is slight…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — there are at least 2,656 vacant council homes, excluding Approved Housing Bodies (AHB) homes, across the State, including 776 homes vacant longer than 12 months; — the National Oversight and Audit Commission Performance Indicator Report 2023, found that the average reletting time was above 33 weeks and cost, on average, €28,347.05; — this reletting cos…

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions. I echo the comments made by the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and reassert the Government's commitment to tackling challenges in the housing sector and with regard to critical infrastructure. We know these challenges are having a very real impact on people's lives. We understand the urgency and the need to ensure sufficient homes are delivered…

I wish the Minister and the Minister of State well in their work. It is a hugely important area and they are going to need all of the breaks and support that they can get in this House and in councils. When I think of local authority housing, I think of the question I am often asked, which is: why, in the 1950s, were we able to build so many well-structured houses for people who were able to avai…

I commend Deputies Ó Broin, Ward and O'Reilly on bringing forward this Bill. I support it completely, and the Social Democrats will support it as well. We think it is very straightforward and sensible legislation that should be pursued and implemented as quickly as possible. It is disappointing that the Minister of State has tabled the timed amendment. I understand that he says that it is to engag…

I would like to start by thanking the officials from the planning section of the Department who facilitated a detailed briefing for members of the Oireachtas committee on Monday. I am deeply disappointed with what I consider to be the disrespectful way in which the Government has introduced and intends to proceed with this Bill. The Minister of State said "With the support of both Houses and with…