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323. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to comments reported in the media that the Government intends to relax planning rules around rural one-off housing, if he will clarify the specific changes being proposed; and when these measures are expected to be introduced. [46517/26]

324. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in view of statements noted in the media regarding a move towards a more flexible approach to rural housing, whether the local needs criteria are to be revised or relaxed; and the way in which this will impact individuals and families seeking to build homes in rural areas. [46518/26]

325. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for a more unified national approach to rural housing planning, as referenced in recent media reports; and the way in which consistency will be ensured across local authorities in the application of such policies. [46519/26]

326. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being considered to provide greater flexibility to planners in assessing rural one-off housing applications, as indicated in public commentary; and when updated guidance will issue to planning authorities. [46520/26]

330. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average cost to the Exchequer of social housing acquisitions in 2025; and to provide a further average cost breakdown by sun scheme including tenant-in-situ, vacant homeless acquisition and so on. [46635/26]

118. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the standardised data on emergency accommodation collected from Local Authority housing departments; if the reasons people require emergency accommodation are included; the way in which this is used for the planning of services to prevent homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46405/26]

178. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the role of his Department in the promotion of Irish business and State agency interests abroad through the Ireland houses diplomatic initiative; the engagement his Department has had to date with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the establishment of new Ireland houses; and if he will make a statement…

563. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated annual cost of providing a housing first tenancy, including the cost of wraparound health and social supports, to a single adult experiencing long-term homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45062/26]

564. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount in the capital budget as set out in table 12 of the Annual Progress Report 2026 that is designated for the construction of new-build social housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45063/26]

577. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions that are being taken, and the progress being made, on monitoring the housing targets in each local authority area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45420/26]

582. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to review social housing income thresholds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45425/26]

585. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the operation of the capital assistance scheme (CAS) in County Mayo; the total number of homes delivered to date under the scheme, broken down by client group older persons, persons exiting homelessness, people with disabilities and other priority cohorts; the number of CAS projects currently approved…

586. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated number of housing units which were necessary to meet demand in each year from 2016 to date; and the total number of units which were actually completed in each year, in tabular form. [45520/26]

589. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the minimum permitted number of car parking spaces per apartment or housing unit in a development. [45730/26]

590. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports available for a first-time buyer purchasing an apartment (not a new build) in Dublin under the Government’s housing policy. [45739/26]

591. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will detail the cost to the State/ total amount paid out on the housing assistance payment HAP in each of the past fifteen years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45760/26]

604. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are any Government bodies currently who can take cases to court on behalf of Irish tenants in relation to broader housing related issues, for example in a case where an OMC does not take responsibility for tenant issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45960/26]

649. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will review the €360,000 statutory total prize cap applying to District Court-licensed lotteries, including house draw competitions; whether consideration will be given to increasing this cap in line with current housing market values and construction costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45…

939. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the role her Department and the HSE will play in scaling Housing with Care or Housing with Support models for older people as part of the continuum of care between independent living and nursing home care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45317/26]

217. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing completions in Dublin south-west in each of the past five years and to-date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44650/26]

218. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing completions anticipated in Dublin south-west in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44651/26]

222. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to increase housing supply to ensure it matches the pace of population growth. [44664/26]

227. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will extend the eligibility criteria for the vacant above-the-shop grant to registered companies; if he acknowledges that the current restriction limiting applications to individual applicants inhibits the uptake of the scheme; his views on whether extending eligibility to corporate owners would rapidly …

228. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which a family can avail of homeless services and supports, including accommodation, in cases in which the family is going to be made homeless and is not on the local authority housing list; if he will outline the process for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44730/26]

231. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable housing properties purchased under the affordable purchase scheme, by each local authority in each of the years, 2023, 2024 and 2025. [44825/26]

We are engaging with all the stakeholders regarding our new housing plan. The housing plan will follow the NDP. When that is finalised, the NDP will clearly set out the funding available for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and other Departments that are key in delivering the infrastructure we need to deliver the housing we need. It is in that context that the housing plan …

I thank the Deputy for highlighting what is the biggest domestic emergency we face in this country - the issue of housing. It is nowhere more acute than when it comes to children. We are united on that. I have huge respect for the Ombudsman of Children, Dr. Niall Muldoon, for the work of his office and his independence. Both of the parties in government established this structure because it is goo…

I am speaking on behalf of the Green Party on the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill, which has been drafted and delivered at speed. I will come back to the point about speed in a moment. I will focus my remarks on one particular cohort of renters, namely, student renters. On the question of speed, I spoke at the launch of the Raise the Roof motion on Monday. I said the Government was in comp…

The past ten days have been a time of deep frustration and nearly depression among people. The omnishambles of the Government's approach to the RPZs in the past ten days has really frustrated people at home. Fianna Fáil obviously has a history in terms of the housing crisis. The Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, was a Minister in the Government that created the first bubble, a Minister in the Gove…

I welcome the opportunity to examine the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025. I thank the Minister for bringing it before the House. This is a decisive Bill that extends rent pressure zones to every county, something that Members from all sides of the House sought. It reflects the Government's commitment to renters, to stability and fairness and to delivering real protections in an often …

Sinn Féin has always opposed the local property tax. We saw it for what it was. It was imposed at a time of austerity. It was not about services or fulfilling the needs of local authorities. It was literally about ensuring money was brought in because of the dreadful circumstances the State found itself in. It was about us following through on the edicts of the International Monetary Fund, IMF, an…

I listened intensely to the Minister's speech and one of the things that always strikes me is the Government seems to believe what it is doing is working. Do those in government not talk to their constituents and meet people, including the families who have elderly people living in their accommodation with them because they were put out of the places they were renting? Have they not spoken to peop…

In my three minutes I am going to repeat what I have said since the day I came in here. This crisis has been caused by Government policy. We have just come in from the Raise the Roof protest. There is no doubt each policy from each Government has intensified the crisis as it has failed to recognise - deliberately so - that housing is a basic human right. Each Government has dealt with it like an a…

I welcome this opportunity, particularly as it is the first time I have taken part in a housing debate in the new Dáil with the Minister present. It is important that we get our points across to him. I was also outside at the protest. I am looking forward to a huge turnout on 5 July for the Community Action Tenants Union protest, particularly because young people are in despair. They are either sl…

Carlow-Kilkenny has much to offer in terms of amenities, education and jobs but we have a difficulty with providing houses for the people who would love to live there. Some of the difficulty relates to the provision of water and wastewater treatment plants and road infrastructure. Developer-led infrastructure provision and investing in services is the only way we will move forward. It is imperativ…

I welcome the opportunity to make a statement on housing, which every representative in the House knows is the most important issue facing families in our country today. I was delighted with the news last week in my constituency, Dublin Rathdown, that an agreement had been reached with the Land Development Agency for the transfer of 17 acres, giving the Government the ability to develop 800 new ho…

I would appreciate it if something were announced today and dealt with in a week or two rather than dragging on down the road. That legislation could have been put in place. We were advising it should be introduced years ago but nobody would listen to us. We must consider the building of houses in cities. We are building out but what about building up? When I am in Dublin and places such as that,…

The Minister of State is very welcome. It is great to have an opportunity to talk about housing. This is a huge issue. It is a serious issue that consumes all of us in these Houses and in each and every one of our constituencies. It affects our families and communities. In reality, despite all the talk about all the different things, we have to build out of this nightmare. Fianna Fáil has always …

Most of this Government's housing policy has thrown renters around the country, and in particular in my area of the inner city and Dublin South-Central, under the bus. However, the peculiar decision to severely limit a successful programme, the tenant in situ programme, seems to be the Government driving the bus over my constituents. Why the Minister would cut the legs from under this popular prog…

I am delighted to be here for these statements. We are all well aware of the housing issue. It is the single biggest issue and everybody knows that. I believe the Government thinks there is a panacea with Airbnbs but it is not. We had that before in this city where the Government closed down 1,000 bedsits - 1,000 units - and made that many people homeless with no place to go. I think the Governmen…

Over-regulated, underdelivered and a catastrophic social disaster that is resulting in the untold misery of thousands of people who are trapped in a bleak housing nightmare. We are witnessing an epidemic of incompetence when it comes to housing. We are witnessing the third Government in a row that has shown no real, dynamic leadership on this issue. We have the third Government in a row that will …

There is nothing more disgraceful than knowing we have thousands of families and children homeless or in insecure accommodation while we have thousands of empty council homes around the country boarded up and left to rot. We constantly hear the Government saying that bringing vacant properties back into use is key to tackling the housing crisis and yet we have over 2,600 council houses boarded up …

The Minister of State has some neck to move that amendment. I thank Deputy Gould for bringing forward the motion and for all his work on this issue. There are 126 boarded-up homes in Fingal County Council's area. That amounts to 500 men, women and children who could be housed. Can the Minister of State imagine what it must be like for people to walk past those houses when they are living in overc…

We are not simply facing a housing shortage, but confronting a failure of governments, of planning, of priority and of moral seriousness. This motion shines a light on a scandal that should never have been allowed to become routine. There are 2,656 vacant council homes across the State. Nearly 800 of them have been empty for over a year while nearly 4,000 children sleep in tents on cold streets an…

As I mentioned previously, we have 2,749 council houses boarded up and left idle. Some 800 of these have been so for more than 12 months. Another shocking figure is the 15,580 homeless citizens in emergency accommodation - not including those on the streets - including 4,775 children. Why is the Government allowing this to continue? I spoke to a young man in Wexford town only yesterday. He is 34 …

I thank Deputy Doherty. Housing is the biggest domestic challenge that this country faces and the people in this country face. It is the biggest societal challenge on a domestic level and it is now a real economic challenge as well. We have to do more when it comes to housing. We, the parties that formed the Government and the Independents who support it, were very clear that if returned to offic…

I think the Tánaiste has been at the Cabinet table for nearly a decade, nine years or so. In that period, the average house price has increased by €200,000 which a huge sum of money for any family. That is just the increase for a new home since the Tánaiste took up office around the Cabinet table. Indeed in the last five years, the average house price increased by €100,000. Every five years the pr…

In terms of real investment in dwellings, the Irish economy registered the fourth largest increase across the 27 EU countries. The recent ESRI publication comparing housing supply across Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales found that on a per capita basis, Ireland and Northern Ireland had the highest rate of house building and Ireland and Scotland had the highest rate of publicl…

I thank the Deputy for his question on departmental approvals for social and affordable housing. The Government is committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social, affordable and cost-rental homes at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment for the delivery of housing in 2025, with overall capital fund…

I thank the Minister and I know he very much values affordable housing. I thank him for the figures he provided indicating that 6,400 units will be provided this year, which is very welcome. Prior to the election I strongly committed to individuals and couples that I would be a strong voice in relation to affordable housing. We all know the cohort of people who are above the social housing income …