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212. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress made in delivering affordable purchase and cost-rental housing in Cork; the number of schemes approved and commenced to date; and if additional sites or funding streams are being considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4139/26]

217. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reforms he is making to cut delays and improve delivery times for social housing projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5011/26]

219. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to review upwards the social housing qualifying income limits. [4550/26]

220. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department is assessing the broadening of the single stage approval process for further housing developments, such as student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5005/26]

221. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide additional funding to local authorities to stop the raising of rents for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4677/26]

233. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline plans for housing activation measures that will provide infrastructure necessary for home building. [4419/26]

234. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the social housing passport between local authorities; when this will be rolled out; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4141/26]

237. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the allocation for the 2026 social housing acquisition programme in Longford, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3760/26]

238. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of stock audits undertaken; and his views on whether social housing provision will now be found compliant by the European Committee of Social Rights. [3475/26]

241. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his priorities for affordable housing in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4867/26]

242. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that there are still no plans to deliver affordable housing projects in County Donegal; and the way in which his Department can work with Donegal County Council to address this serious failure. [3634/26]

244. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures he will take to boost overall housing supply during 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4874/26]

246. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when income eligibility limits for local authority housing in Cavan and Monaghan will be increased; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4546/26]

247. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to introduce legislation to enable local authorities to take in charge properties that have been left derelict for a specified period in a more timely manner than is currently permitted, with a view to increasing the availability of housing stock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4542/26…

249. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the progress of work to update policy direction and guidance in respect of rural housing, initially in the form of a section 28 guideline which is being reviewed and prepared as a national planning statement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4931/26]

259. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the failure of the developers (details supplied) to deliver on key obligations and commitments, including the promised town centre and bridge, and the affordable housing requirements attached to LIHAF; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5004/26]

261. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of former IPAS residents who are currently accommodated under the housing assistance payment scheme, for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68150/25]

264. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions he will take to ensure that the projected rise in housing completions to 37,000 in 2026 is achieved, given that output is conditional on progress in delivering enabling infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4951/26]

266. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has considered the integration of microgrids into the planning requirements for new housing developments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5056/26]

269. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on which county councils have rezoned land for housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4928/26]

271. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when his Department will announce the next tranche of URDF funding; if his Department will consider increasing the amount given to north Kildare, considering the increasing in housing built in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5021/26]

272. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the proposals and associated targets to deliver age-friendly housing in counties Cavan and Monaghan. [5057/26]

388. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the maximum number of housing units that can be built in Dublin City centre based on current land use capacity calculations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5321/26]

401. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current income limits that apply for social housing applicants in counties Cavan and Monaghan; whether he will amend those limits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5186/26]

410. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if additional funding will be made available to Carlow County Council in 2026 for housing adaptation grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5286/26]

-----to wish Troy Parrott and our boys in green all the best of luck tonight in Prague. We are all hoping for a hat-trick. Tá cruachás na gcostas maireachtála ag éirí níos measa, go háirithe ó thaobh tionóntaí de. The cost-of-living emergency is getting worse. The measures the Government announced mean the cost of living will remain stubbornly high for workers and families who cannot make ends me…

At the outset, I thank the Minister and Government for facilitating these statements today. They are absolutely necessary. As we all know, Bessborough represents a very long dark chapter in our past. It extended from 1922 to 1998. It was a very recent chapter. It is not that long ago since Bessborough closed its doors. Some of the history of what went on in Bessborough is known and some is unknown…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. First, any reduction is welcome. I was looking for figures with regard to NORA. Between €2 billion and €3 billion was supposed to be paid into it since 2007 or 2008. My understanding is that the oil reserves are not just in Ireland, but we have a deal with someone else. The way NORA is set up needs more explanation, to be quite frank about it. The l…

We have to differentiate between those who need our help and those who do not. We have made a commitment to the Ukrainian people, some of it because we are not supplying weaponry as a militarily neutral country to help the Ukrainians in their fight against the illegal Russian invasion and onslaught that has killed so many of their people. We have made a commitment and if we make a commitment, we h…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to prevent certain objections to grants of planning permission by requiring, subject to exceptions, that an objector must have a material interest in the development to which the objection relates; and to provide for related matters. I am very glad of the opportunity here to introduce and move the Planning and Development (Materia…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis seo. I apologise to the Minister for being for missing some of his speech and also apologise to the House that I have to leave immediately after my own because this debate is clashing with a meeting of the Oireachtas justice committee. That affects a number of Members. I ask the Minister to engage with his officials to try to ensure that justice debates in future will n…

I thank the Deputies for their productive engagement during today's debate. I will convey the many assurances of support for the passing of this Bill to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. My belief and that of the Government is that we must do all we can to assist the inquiry so that its investigation into the fundamental question of whether the bombing could reasonably have been prevented is as co…

I welcome the rebate for the haulage industry. The only thing about it is that is probably for licensed hauliers. What about the person who is a haulier of cattle? A haulage licence is not needed for that. What about people who own hardware and have to bring their own gear somewhere? They do not need a haulage licence. Do they get the rebate? If it is like the things before then they do not. What …

I thank Independent Ireland for putting this motion to the House today. This is a very serious issue and one that we in Aontú have raised over and over again in this Chamber for many years. We believe that vulnerable children are being exposed to shocking danger by this Government and by a broken system over which the Minister presides. The figures speak for themselves. The national review panel p…

I would like to talk about housing supply in Carlow. We all agree that a quicker way to increase supply is to utilise existing buildings. I have to give kudos to Carlow County Council, which has made huge inroads tackling vacancy and dereliction, with a particular focus on providing town centre older persons' housing to facilitate the 339 older persons living alone in two- and three-bedroom counci…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Housing Loans Regulations 2021 so as to allow applications to local authorities for housing loans by persons who are remaining in the family home following a divorce or legal separation and who need mortgage finance to buyout their former partner’s share of the family home. As the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, knows, …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I want to ask the Minister today about the targets for social and affordable housing delivery under Housing for All. Given that it has become abundantly clear that the Government will not meet the targets this year, and it has never met them for social and affordable housing, will the Minister revise the targets contained within the new housing plan in order to take …

There were 9,089 built. That is still, over the lifetime of Housing for All, beneath the target of that plan. I am asking, in particular, about the 2026 budget allocation. For example, that does not take into account that there was an underdelivery of around 4,000 units under the previous housing plan and the Minister has already underestimated the level of need in his new housing plan. He has not…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 154, 156, 169, 191, 198, 207 and 255 together. Tackling vacancy and dereliction is a key objective of this Government as reflected in the new housing plan, delivering homes and building communities. The vacant property refurbishment grant, which is funded under the croí cónaithe towns fund, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properti…

We meet at a critical moment for the Gulf and the wider Middle East. We are all deeply concerned by the outbreak of conflict since Saturday, the scenes of death and destruction we are witnessing, the impact on our citizens across the Gulf caught up in this conflict, the consequences for some of our closest partners in the region, the situation facing our peacekeepers serving in UNIFIL and by the p…

I welcome the fact the Minister of State from the Department of Education and Youth is here to take this Topical Issue. As the Minister of State knows, I represent Dublin Fingal East. It is a rapidly growing area, with house building in east Fingal, and all towns are growing rapidly. This is good and we need houses. With this come a lot of young families and pressure on local infrastructure. This …

At the weekend, the Taoiseach's appalling new rules for renters came into effect. To mark that change, we learned of the eviction notices issued to 36 homes in Wexford, all owned by the same large landlord, right in the heart of the housing Minister's own constituency. My colleague Deputy Lawlor has been dealing with the families involved, in excess of 100 people including many children, many of w…

-----and two community-based specialists for the centre. I am familiar with the organisation. I will speak to the Minister and the Minister of State to see what the background to this is. I think it has been a very effective organisation and an advocate for people with acquired brain injuries. I am supportive of this but obviously I will have to talk to the Minister and the Minister of State and s…

Gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as an tairiscint thábhachtach seo a chur chun cinn. Tá géarchéim tithíochta ar fud na tíre. Tá éigeandáil ann. There is a housing crisis all over this country. It is an emergency. Is fadhb ar leith í sa Ghaeltacht. There is a specific crisis that affects the Gaeltacht. That is, of course, because tá todhchaí na nGaeltachtaí i mbaol agus, mar sin, tá todhchaí na Gaeilg…

In the west Kerry Gaeltacht, Gaeltacht Chorca Dhuibhne, we have the linguistic town of Dingle - An Daingean, Ceann Trá, Dún Chaoin, An Fheothanach agus Baile an Fheirtéaraigh. In Gaeltacht Uíbh Ráthaigh, we have the service town of Cahersiveen, Baile an Sceilg, An Dromaid, An Ghleann agus An Caladh. These are the two main Gaeltacht areas in County Kerry. There is a strong need to increase the numb…

The national total for those considered homeless is 16,734. Of that figure, 5,188 are children. These figures released in December 2025 show a shocking increase in both adult and child homelessness. These figures also mask the real number of those who are homeless because they do not tell us how many people are couch surfing and sleeping rough on the streets or in their cars. Eviction notices fro…

As the Minister is aware, data from the latest homeless quarterly progress report on the scale of homelessness clearly shows there were 16,734 individuals accessing emergency accommodation at the end of quarter 4 of 2025. This was an increase of 120 individuals on the position at the end of quarter 3 of 2025. There was an increase of 1,870 on the total recorded at the end of quarter 4 of 2024. The…

I want to speak to the Taoiseach about coastal erosion, which is an extremely pressing and urgent issue for coastal communities right across Ireland. It is estimated in recent reports that up to 20% of the coastline of Ireland is at risk. This is a particular problem in the south east due to the composition of the lands, which are sand and clay-based. Some areas in the south east are losing up to …

Over the course of a two-hour debate last night, I listened carefully to what colleagues had to say about the vital role played by special needs assistants, SNAs, in the lives of children and young people with special educational needs. Today, protests involving parents, teachers, SNAs and members of school communities will take place across the country. I know that people are angry and frustrated…

I join the Taoiseach in thanking the group of survivors from industrial and reformatory schools for their presence in the Dáil today, and indeed for their campaign to highlight the ongoing legacy of trauma bestowed by this country's shameful history of cruelty towards children. Today we welcome Mary, Mary, Miriam and Maurice. I know you met with the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, last…