Search the Dáil record

1648. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the funding application submitted by Fingal County Council to develop housing at Tuckett’s Lane, Howth, County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23947/26]

1653. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of supported housing units in Wicklow at the moment; and the number that are planned up to 2050; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23996/26]

1654. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has received a business case or a request for funding in respect of infrastructure related to the delivery of housing in Wicklow. [24006/26]

1655. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the rationale for not deducting regular maintenance payments by a partner for their child from their income when being assessed for eligibility for social housing support, yet the recipient of the maintenance payment will have it assessed as income when applying for supports; and if he will make a state…

1664. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider providing for specific housing support for lone parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24163/26]

1665. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on whether lone parents are disproportionally impacted by high rents; if any targeted housing supports for lone parent families has been considered by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24164/26]

1668. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the results of the review on income thresholds for social housing support will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24231/26]

1677. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding housing supports for Ukrainian families that do not yet have permission to remain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24402/26]

1678. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to situations whereby Ukrainian families have been evicted from their accommodation but cannot qualify for social housing supports as they do not have permission to remain; the advice he will give to anyone in this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24403/26…

1682. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his recent announcement regarding Developer-Led Wastewater Services Infrastructure (details supplied) will apply to a group of houses in a completely rural setting.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24485/26]

1693. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the work his Department is undertaking to address the low uptake of social housing and independent living supports by people with intellectual disabilities. [24758/26]

1696. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider giving people who are on their local authorities housing list who have received a valid notice of termination access to homeless HAP earlier than the current 12 weeks prior to their notice of termination date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24790/26]

1697. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage under the new Developer Provided Infrastructure for Wastewater Treatment Plants of developments of up to 40 houses, can plants be installed in a village in a rural area that already has a plant but is at capacity/not working, or can plants only be installed where Uisce Éireann currently do not have a plant; and…

1706. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position where an individual is on a social housing list in one local authority area and transfers to another, the way they can ensure their previous years continue to be counted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24932/26]

1707. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of transfers in 2025 from the social housing list of one local authority to another local authority. [24933/26]

1712. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 315 of 26 March 2026, to provide a specific answer for the shortage of social housing in Arklow, County Wicklow, as distinct from County Wicklow as a whole, as per the original question. [24982/26]

1716. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to expedite reform of the National Planning Guidelines for one-off housing and give particular attention to areas under significant urban pressure (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25046/26]

1718. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason AHBs receive funding for housing maintenance while local authorities do not; and whether he would consider expanding these funding models to local authorities. [25077/26]

1723. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the tenant-in-situ scheme will be operational again for local authorities to purchase houses for families facing eviction; the amount of funding which has been allocated to Sligo County Council for the scheme in 2026; the amount of funding which has been allocated to Leitrim County Council for the scheme …

1727. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the updated regulations for one-off housing will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25327/26]

1729. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if favourable consideration can be given to converting a garage change of use to the rear or side of a dwelling to an apartment/small dwelling house; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25396/26]

1731. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on his proposal to remove any ban on pets in social and affordable housing; if this will include HAP tenancies; if he intends on progressing legislation to include private tenancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25418/26]

1737. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total funding allocated to the cost rental tenant-in-situ scheme; the total revenue made from rent by the Housing Agency; the average rent in each of the past four years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25496/26]

1738. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm whether any of the social homes funded by his Department that were to be part of bundle 3 of the social housing PPP scheme have commenced construction; if so, when; the number; and the timeline for the delivery of each of the schemes involved. [25549/26]

1741. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a copy of the review into bundles 4 - 7 of the PPP social housing scheme; the person or body that undertook this review; and the date on which it was completed and submitted to him. [25552/26]

I am sure the Tánaiste will join me by offering his sympathies and the sympathies of the Government on the passing of Sr. Colette Hickey, who passed away at the age of 108. She was the founder of Edel House Cork and the first winner of the 1993 Cork Person of the Year Award for the tremendous work she did for our city. This week, we have reports in the press of 265 people aged 65 or older living …

On behalf of the Social Democrats, I am very happy to speak to this issue today. I commend Deputy Charles Ward on the work he has done in bringing this motion to the floor of the Dáil and for his tireless work on this issue. We are very happy to co-sign this motion. I will also mention that my colleague, Deputy Rory Hearne, is unavailable today, which is why I am stepping in. He remains, as we do …

I, too, compliment Deputy Ward, an Teachta Ward, for bringing forward this motion and for all the work he has done since he was elected and before he was elected. I also compliment na daoine in the Gallery, including Councillors Denis McGee and Joy Beard. Indeed, I also compliment the staff of Deputy Ward and the people and families who are affected. How many more times must they make the major jo…

Gabhaim buíochas le gach ball a bhí páirteach sa díospóireacht thábhachtach seo. Guím Bród sona ar gach duine. Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle as ceannaireacht a thabhairt do gach Ball den Teach an tseachtain seo caite mar gheall ar cheiliúradh Bhród. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for her leadership as the custodian of the Chair of the House, for being impartial and for being a leader in …

Now the Bill is before the House. I am not criticising the Minister. I am talking about the past when the Bill was not brought to the Houses, and how long it has taken for a Government, that is, this one rather than the previous one, to legislate to address this issue. I compliment the Minister on bringing the Bill to the House and bringing us to this position. As a small, open economy, we face i…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, to delete lines 1 to 22 and substitute the following: " ". These amendments go to the core of the legislation. This legislation is flawed because it has left people under severe financial pressure in the middle of a really hard time for so many families across the State. Amendment No. 1 probably sums that up best. It would remove excise completely from home h…

Tá an méid atá ráite ag an Teachta dochreidte. Níl sí macánta faoin cheist seo in aon chor. Níl sí ceart ach an oiread. Caithfidh mé a rá go bhfuil cúrsaí polaitíochta i gceist aici. Níl sí i ndáiríre in aon chor maidir leis an gceist seo. The Deputy is being very dishonest in her presentation of this issue. She is being deliberately manipulative and is endeavouring to win votes on the back of th…

I will start the debate by reflecting back on 100 years ago. The 1926 census digitisation recently emerged and it showed a very different Ireland. It is worth reflecting on the journey that we have travelled in that 100 years. Before I get into that, though, I hope the House will indulge me a brief personal note. Had I not been performing parliamentary duties today, I would have been attending my…

I move: That Dáil Éireann resolves that the period of operation of sections 1 to 7 and 9 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021 (No. 14 of 2021) be extended for a further period of six months, beginning on the 1st day of June, 2026 and ending on the 30th day of November, 2026. I am here to introduce a resolution to extend the sunset clause in the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions…

-----based on what it has produced so far, in terms of the substance of what it has put forward. Soundbites will not build houses. It is good play but it will not build houses. I do not mind having an honest debate on housing but the Deputy consistently fails to acknowledge any progress at all in terms of the social housing issue, for example. There have been 58,000 social houses built in the last…

The solution to the housing issue is supply. We need far more supply than we are getting, notwithstanding the fact we are building more social houses than we ever have per annum. We will continue to build social houses over the next ten years because the investment is being made. There is massive State investment in housing, and there is additional, discrete ring-fenced funding for emergency housi…

The housing crisis continues to affect every town and village across Ireland. It remains one of the biggest challenges facing families, young people, older people and workers. As a TD, I hear every week from people struggling to find a home, buy a home or to cope with raising rents. The message is clear - more houses and more needs to be done. There is no single solution to the housing crisis and …

I thank the Deputy for highlighting this important issue. I am taking this on behalf the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has drafted the general scheme of the short-term letting and tourism, STLT, Bill in full alignment with the EU short-term rental regulation, which is what the Deputy is talking about. We have a collaborat…

This is an important matter. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has worked closely with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, and is committed to developing a fair and balanced approach to the short-term letting question, which is crucial. As the Deputy said, as a proud Kerryman, he has always highlighted the needs in this area. I absolutely agree. It is about…

The confidence with which the Taoiseach tries to slate the Social Democrats' policies on housing is honestly astounding, when we consider that he is coming in here on a day when there is news that rents have gone up more than they ever have since records began. That is in the context of a housing crisis that has turned into a housing disaster and then into a catastrophe, where there are record lev…

The Bill involves the winding up and dissolution of NAMA and bringing the sad story of the IBRC to an end. Nobody will be particularly unhappy about ending this part of Irish history. Nobody can look back to the circumstances that led to this in a positive manner. It is very difficult to look at NAMA, the bank bailout and the entire sorry story without seeing it as being open business for institut…

During the time when NAMA was dealing with the various property portfolios and issues arising from the work-out of those properties, many questions were asked, many queries were put before NAMA, and many people who had been in business and who found themselves in difficulty after the crash were treated very badly. That is a fact. That is held up by the number of people who appeared before the fina…

Over 9,000 social houses were built last year. Those were direct builds that the State funded. Housing is the number one issue facing the people of the country. Our population has grown exponentially, and if we dig deep under the demographics and the population figures, we can see the impact on the pressures on the housing situation because of the different parts of that demographics story. I can …

I commend Deputy Ó Broin on bringing forward this motion. We clearly have a situation where rents and evictions are out of control in every part of the country and it is spiralling at an alarming rate. At the moment, I am dealing with a group of houses in my constituency in Enniscrone, Sonas. It is elder care accommodation beside a nursing home. Older people who live there have received eviction n…

My blood is boiling after listening to that speech. Fine Gael has been in power for 15 years and Fianna Fáil supported the party for 11 of those years. It has been the same absolute waffle. Who has done great out of this in all of that time? It has been the bankers, bondholders, developers and vultures - the corporate interests. They have all been paid. They have all got their deals. This Governm…

This House must be about finding solutions to address the housing crisis. We have put our policies forward to address that crisis and we stand behind them. That is why we saw a 20% increase in housing delivery last year and the highest number of social houses built in the history of the State. We are going to build more houses, including an increase in affordable provision. An eviction ban does n…

I begin by acknowledging the women who have had truly heartbreaking personal circumstances in pregnancy and whom I know are the motivation behind this Bill by the Social Democrats. Many Deputies in all parties, both in government and in opposition, know people who have struggled with the worst news in pregnancy. I think of all of those women who inspired the Bill, the Social Democrats' work on it …

I commend Deputy Stanley on putting down a question on this important matter. I welcome the response from the Minister. I grew up in Kildare at a time when, like many generations before me, the Curragh was a vibrant, living community. Unfortunately, in recent decades, the Department of Defence took as its policy the depopulation of the Curragh camp. Worse still, in recent years, we have seen the d…

Céad míle fáilte to all the residents up there. I want to give a shout out to the flat complexes of Meath Place, Dolphin House, Tyrone Place, Braithewaite Street and Seagull House in my constituency alone. Unfortunately the residents of Oliver Bond House, who planned to attend, cannot be here, as has been mentioned. These residents are devastated by dealing with yet more Government ineptitude but …

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this important motion. There are families from flats in Dublin in the audience today. Good, decent people are being left to live in damp, mouldy, unsafe homes. That is simply unacceptable. I have seen it in towns and villages in west Cork, where people have been waiting years for repairs that never come. They are paying high rents while living in conditions t…