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331. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage the progress made in implementing Programme for Government commitments to introduce special development plans for Gaeltacht areas, including housing targets and planning guidelines applicable to Gaeltacht communities in Galway West; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21124/26]

346. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of money allocated to South Dublin County Council for retrofitting of local authority housing stock in each of the years 2024, 2025 and 2026. [21160/26]

74. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the new construction waste levy which is leading to significantly increased costs for construction projects at a time of housing shortage and house price inflation; his plans to review this levy or assist the sector in relation to this issue; and if he will make a statement on the …

989. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding any recent tripartite engagements between his Department, Dublin City Council and the developers of the Poolbeg SDZ area to reach an agreement on the delivery of affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18280/26]

990. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding any review of the qualifying income thresholds for cost rental housing developments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18281/26]

1000. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to the recent opening of the state’s first purpose-built social housing with supports for older people (details supplied) if there are plans to roll-out further similar style facilities; if existing developments will be considered for adaptation for such purposes; if a single point of contact exists…

1007. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans if any, to adapt a one nation national minimum standard approach for all housing types similar to the 2025 design standards for apartment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18522/26]

1008. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will revise the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, amended in June 2016, to account for the cost-of-living crisis and the development of residential areas in Bands 2 and 3; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18528/26]

1014. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to provide affordable housing in Killarney, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18695/26]

1016. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the merits of relaxing regulations to allow homeowners to build larger stand-alone cabins in back gardens and create additional housing capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18736/26]

1017. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to respond to correspondence (details supplied) in relation to housing assistance payment rent limits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18794/26]

1018. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the protocol to allow households fleeing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence to transfer time spent on a social housing waiting list to another local authority; when this protocol will be implemented, to outline the resources that will be provided to local authorities to support the…

1042. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has assessed the potential role of reopening the Mullingar–Athlone rail line in supporting housing delivery and compact growth in towns and villages along the corridor, including Moate, Streamstown and Castletown Geoghegan. [19124/26]

1047. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in light of the ongoing homelessness crisis and the Government's decision to restrict the tenant-in-situ scheme and given the continued rise in homelessness figures, will the Minister acknowledge that restricting the scheme has exacerbated housing insecurity and commit to urgently restoring the tenant-in-s…

1049. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm the targets for accessible social housing delivered by local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19278/26]

1050. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority housing allocations for people with disabilities in the years 2024 and 2025, broken down by physical, sensory, mental, intellectual, or other classification of disability, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19279/26]

1052. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the 7.5% targets for wheelchair accessible social housing are met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19281/26]

1055. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the analysis undertaken by his Department comparing the cost to the State of providing emergency homeless accommodation with the cost of preventing homelessness through the tenant-in-situ acquisition scheme operated by local authorities and the housing agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter.…

1061. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will publish any internal reports or analysis undertaken by the Department or the housing agency comparing emergency accommodation and the tenant-in-situ scheme approaches [19341/26]

1063. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps being taken by his Department to reduce the number of those on a Kildare County Council waiting list for a house; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19383/26]

1064. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the progress toward delivering affordable housing in North Kildare; the measures currently being advanced by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19384/26]

1065. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the construction of infrastructure that will help to deliver housing in North Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19385/26]

1070. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether current local authority IT systems used to collect housing and homelessness data record the reasons people become homeless; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19472/26]

1078. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a description of the work of the Housing Activation Office; its workforce plan, objectives and KPIs; to provide a detailed description of the work undertaken so far; to provide a breakdown of the meetings that have taken place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19644/26]

1080. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether homeowners under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme are provided with the engineer’s final report relating to their dwelling before being asked to indicate whether they wish to avail of a technical review following an assessment by the Housing Agency under I.S. 465; whether electing to avail of …

All of us in this room are in agreement that the infrastructure plan has to deliver. We have to be absolutely unapologetic about getting our critical infrastructure across the line and delivered for our people. We have to be honest about increasing housing delivery, which is a huge concern for everyone in this House, no more than for the Minister. What is honesty holding it back? In reality it is …

I thank Deputies Carthy and Gannon for their contributions. Deputy Carthy raised several issues in respect of Ireland's sovereignty. The fact these issues are being debated in this House, and subsequently will be debated and voted on in the Seanad, indicates Irish democracy is very much at the heart of the consideration of these proposals. There have been three parts to the PNR agreement between …

I want to start by clearly saying what I was elected on in the election a year ago. I was one of the only TDs to have immigration on my leaflet, which the people of north Dublin elected me on. I was elected on a belief that immigration must be handled in a dignified and proactive way based on dialogue between communities and Government. Since sitting in the Chamber and in my office, I have heard m…

In my constituency of Galway East, not one affordable home has been delivered in towns like Athenry, Tuam and Loughrea. Rents have increased massively, and so have house prices. Young families come to me all the time asking what their options are and if affordable housing might be an option for them but it does not exist in our local area. We are in the middle of a housing emergency and that has b…

I thank the Deputy. The Government's youth homelessness strategy commits to developing an annual information and awareness campaign on housing rights, as well as available supports specifically targeting young people. This is essential to do, particularly online where young people, who are most impacted, are most active. The Housing Agency was tasked with developing these information campaigns, an…

I welcome each of the provisions of the Bill because behind many of those provisions are either victims or groups who have campaigned for the Government to act. The Minister has hit the ground running in the past number of months. The breadth of the Bill demonstrates his good faith in having worked with many of the people who sought these provisions. I spent all of Christmas listening to the Oppo…

I welcome the survivors, therapists and campaigners who have come to the Dáil today, including those who have campaigned on the issue of an amnesty for same-sex relations crime in the past. I do not know if they are still here. The issue in this Bill that has dominated is that of the use of counselling notes. There are many survivors here today. I cannot mention them all but will mention a few. S…

Last week, I warned this House that the Housing Agency is stretching IS 465 to exclude homeowners from the defective concrete block remediation scheme. At least one engineer is saying they will not fix defective homes, ignoring the criteria IS 465 sets out for defective blocks. The Government cannot hide behind technical language while families are left unsafe in their homes. What I am raising tod…

I thank all the Deputies who raised a variety of issues. Deputy O'Meara raised the issue of affordable housing, specifically in Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny in a variety of towns. There is a variety of schemes to help people to afford housing. Lots of people have used the help to buy and first home schemes. The local authority affordable scheme has had applications in some counties more effec…

The scourge of dereliction in the time of a housing crisis is, as was said, antisocial at best and a scandal. Many of the problems we face today predate the Minister's tenure as Minister for housing. I have served with the Minister on Wexford County Council. In my experience councils are afraid of their lives to go anywhere near derelict sites. Every time we bring proposals for remediating a part…

I welcome the Bill and commend the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on his work in this area and that he has brought the Bill to Second Stage in the House for debate. I am sure it will be passed. The Bill is necessary but it is unbelievable that it has taken so long, albeit not under the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to bring such a Bill to the House. It is a Bill that is fundamental in terms of development,…

The European Union launched, in December, a groundbreaking affordable housing plan with revised state aid rules and new approaches to delivering affordable housing. Will the Taoiseach put affordable housing central on the agenda of the European Union Presidency that Ireland will hold? Will he take action to ensure Ireland draws down funding that is available through the European Union and new appr…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an ambasadóir chuig Tithe an Oireachtais. Cuirim fáilte roimh na páistí chuig Tithe an Oireachtais fosta. As we approach the last Leaders' Questions, I want to wish you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, and all the staff of the House a happy Christmas. Nollaig shona daoibh agus athbhliain faoi mhaise. Hopefully, everyone will have a peaceful new year, and we will see each other back h…

From the Deputy's perspective, that is the short-term popular answer, is it not? All that would do would depress supply. The fundamental answer to homelessness is supply. The Deputy's party has never got that. All its proposals, in my view, would actually depress supply and reduce it. That is the fundamental difference between us. I am not going for the short-term popular thing, to ban this and al…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 27th November, 2025. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the draft regulations and to set out the rationale and reasoning behind their development. The draft Planning and Development…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, line 22, to delete “Blocks”. I will make the speech I was not allowed to make earlier and I will not be muzzled. I will talk about defective concrete. Today's Bill should have been an opportunity to correct the fundamentally broken system. Instead, we are laying more complexity on top of injustice and calling it progress. I have submitted 18 pages of amendments…

I listened to the Minister speak on the amendments. He referred to the Building Control Acts 1990 to 2025. What the Minister is saying is that for a house built in the 1990s, a section can be put on that house connecting the 1990 blockwork to the 2025 blockwork. Who is going to certify it? I deal with engineers daily. For certification of anything that I need, I would have to get all the different…

This is infuriating. The Finance Bill went through in the past ten days. I put this to the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, and, in fairness, he said that what I was saying had merit. The ARP scheme for Ukrainians that I mentioned was designed and is administered by the Department of justice. The latter went to the Department of Finance looking for the income that is paid for those properties to…

I need clarity before I leave here tonight. I want to be able to tell the people of Lios na Circe and Westport what this means for them. Not only are these semi-detached, detached or terraced houses, but the topography of where they are built means they are sitting on a number of slopes. These houses were built by an approved housing body with the local authority and local authority mortgages. The…

The programme for Government says the Government will move responsibility for the Multi-Unit Developments, MUD, Acts to the Department of housing from the Department of justice and establish a unit in the Housing Agency to regulate owners' management companies, OMCs, to ensure effective governance. That is important work that needs to happen. The problem is that it is not happening currently, but …

Before I speak to this subject, I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle and the staff of Leinster House for the event yesterday. We have all seen the analysis of our distinguished guests, as has been well covered in the media, but it is important to pay tribute to the ushers, the administrative office and the office of the Ceann Comhairle. It was a special and historic day and it passed off quite well.…

I welcome these statements on the Government’s updated housing plan, which rightly sets a minimum target of 300,000 homes, including 72,000 social and 90,000 affordable homes. The plan is backed by €9 billion in housing capital for next year alone. It focuses on activating land, clearing blockages and expanding housing first and family homelessness measures. This is essential if we are serious abo…

I agree with the speaker across the floor who wanted to put a rocket under Uisce Éireann but I would say that it would take a hell of lot more. Unfortunately, it has been protected long enough by Government. It is a law unto itself right now. There is a massive housing crisis now, not alone in the want of housing but also for the people who have the houses. I hate calling them landlords because th…

The Government's plan to lock people who are renting houses into six-year tenancies is not going to work in Kerry. People get on to me every day because landlords are refusing to continue leasing properties to them. Trying to force people into six-year tenancies is not going to work. The plan the Government has to force Airbnb properties into long-term letting is not going to work either. That is…

About 15 years ago, when I was a county councillor on Cork County Council, I put forward a similar motion looking for a proportion of all major Government contracts to be given to either local workers or to ensure that apprentices were being hired. At the time, I was told we could not do that because of EU procurement law. I went and researched it, and it turns out that Germany, Italy and other Eu…