Search the Dáil record

1452. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the new measures for the delivery of age-friendly housing, that are not currently in place, being introduced in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1627/26]

1453. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total funding allocation for social housing acquisitions in 2026; the total funding for acquisitions by local authority; when the allocation will be communicated to each local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1628/26]

1454. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the deadline for which each local authority will be required to publish its Housing Delivery Action Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1629/26]

1455. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he and his Department are taking to support increased housing delivery by local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1630/26]

1462. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of applications received for affordable purchase homes under all affordable housing schemes administered by each local authority; the number of those applications which met all eligibility requirements; the number of homes available for allocation in each year; and the number of homes ultimatel…

1464. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applicants who met all eligibility criteria for affordable purchase housing but were not offered a home due to demand exceeding supply for each local authority in each of the past three years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1895/26]

1465. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department or local authorities track repeat applications by the same household for affordable purchase housing schemes; if so, the number of unique applicant households, the number of households that applied more than once, and the average and median number of application rounds entered by househol…

1466. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if data on the length of time or number of application rounds spent in the affordable purchase housing application process by successful applicants is collected or monitored by his Department or by local authorities; if so, to provide details and any available data; and if he will make a statement on the matter…

1468. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether consideration has been given to the introduction of anonymised unique applicant identifiers for affordable purchase housing schemes in order to better assess repeat application rates, unmet demand, and waiting times across local authorities; and if so, the status of such consideration; and if he will ma…

1469. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if comparative data on demand versus supply for affordable purchase housing across local authorities is used by his Department to inform funding allocations, programme design, or future delivery targets; and if so, to provide details; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1904/26]

1478. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the rationale for limiting eligibility for the vacant property refurbishment grant (including above-the-shop accommodation) to individual applicants only; whether he accepts that this restriction is limiting the scale and pace of delivery of homes in town centres; and if he will outline any plans to extend el…

1481. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has undertaken any analysis comparing the vacant property refurbishment grant with other housing activation schemes that permit applications from companies or delivery partners; and if he will publish or outline the findings of any such analysis. [2150/26]

1483. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a review the operational rules of the vacant property refurbishment grant which is planned in 2026; and whether such a review will specifically examine applicant eligibility with a view to increasing delivery of above-the-shop and town centre housing. [2152/26]

1487. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when legislation to support the remediation of apartments and duplexes will be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas; and when such a scheme will open for applications. [2197/26]

1488. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people on housing waiting lists in 2025 in each county, in tabular form. [2199/26]

1489. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social, affordable and cost-rental homes completed in 2025, broken down by local authority; how these figures compare with annual targets set out in Government housing plans; the number of projects delayed or that have not commenced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2200/26]

1499. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the solutions that are in place for people who are over the income threshold for social housing but under the income threshold for cost rental schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2373/26]

1503. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will establish an interim order to prevent families with pets being disaffected in social housing in advance of the enactment of the pet ban legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2500/26]

1504. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the local authority housing vacancy figures for the year 2025, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2509/26]

1505. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to detail the refurbishment timelines, per county, for bringing vacant local authority housing stock back in to use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2510/26]

1664. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his plans for the temporary accommodation provided at a location (details supplied), which was developed to house people from Ukraine; if so, to outline what assessment has been made of the suitability of this site for conversion to social housing once temporary measures for Ukrainian accommodation cease…

1879. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on her engagement with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to the review of the 2001 planning guidelines for childcare facilities; if she has met with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to this matter; the outcome of the me…

2489. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she has engaged with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding the potential impact of proposed tenancy reforms (particularly the six-year tenancy requirement) on families participating in the fair deal nursing home loan scheme; if she accepts that the proposed legislation may create unintended financial hardship for …

193. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if the reduction of VAT on residential construction from 13.5% to 9% now applies beyond the point of sale and to the point of construction as housing agencies may own the land, and many valuable housing projects would not have benefitted from the change otherwise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70855/25]

198. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the role credit unions play in supporting the delivery of social housing through the Credit Union Approved Housing Body Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72868/25]

I welcome any changes to amend planning legislation. Something I would like the Minister to look at in the new year is listed buildings and building over listed buildings. In Limerick, we have a lot of listed buildings and many buildings which are stopping young people from living over them. I have no problem with the fire regulations but the problem is that conservation rules mean the inside of t…

First of all, I wish you, a Cheann Comhairle, all the elected Members, all the staff, everyone involved in this great House and the people who are running it all the very best for Christmas and the new year. I welcome the exemption for the change of use from vacant commercial properties to residential use. I thought that was in place, but if it is being regularised, that is all the better. I also…

I too welcome many aspects of this legislation. It is very important that the Minister is making efforts in many areas, but we have a lot of strange things happening as well. Like Deputy Healy-Rae, I want to ask about the granny flats and modular units in the back garden. I will again mention Seán Meehan who is being prosecuted. He is being dragged through the courts for having his own little mobi…

One of the actions in the recently published housing plan is that the Department will be publishing quarterly and annual performance tables for new-build output versus targets per local authority, thereby ensuring transparency and accountability. I understand that will commence next June in relation to social housing. We should also provide similar tables in relation to affordable housing. The lo…

The Deputy has a wide compass. He is national now. I ask him to give me the details and I will follow through. It should not happen. I do not know the background to that. I appreciate the Deputy's comments about the Jewish community in Ireland and the impact that what happened in Bondi Beach has had on the Jewish community globally and in Ireland. The murder that took place was quite shocking. Ot…

Local authorities have struggled with this for quite a long time. My own belief is that persistent misbehaviour and so on should mean you lose the tenancy. That is what should happen. It is hard. We know of housing estates that have awful tensions, difficulties and challenges. I would be glad to work with the Deputy on the issue. I will talk to the Minister about it. Deputy Quaide spoke about the…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a second time." I am pleased to introduce the Appropriation Bill. The Bill is an important annual financial legislative instrument which must be enacted before the end of the year in order to give effect to the authorisation of voted expenditure through 2025 and to allow for the continuation of expenditure into 2026. The Bill has two primary functions. The firs…

Every time I come in here, I look across the benches and see where we cannot get delivery. I then look at communities where any time something is wanted or somebody is in trouble, people ask what they can do to help, even if they have not got it themselves. Yesterday, I was in Limerick. It is a tradition in Limerick that Fossett's Circus comes there. Fossett's Circus does a charity night, every ti…

I thank all the Members for their very helpful and informative ideas and contributions. We will certainly take many of them on board. The Appropriation Bill 2025 sets an amount that we appropriate for supply of services of €91.5 billion. This reflects the Estimates voted by the Dáil over the course of this year, including Revised, Further Revised and Supplementary Estimates. In gross terms and ta…

I have been here for the entire debate. I have heard from the Minister and from all sides of the House. I accept the Minister's explanation that there was a private service, that some pharmacists were giving out a free service and that others were charging to the Government with an incorrect charging rate. I accept all of that. However, what she has told the House is an indictment of the Governmen…

Kenmare has been starved of private housing schemes for almost 20 years, first because we did not have an adequate treatment plant - some €40 million has been spent on that and it is fully operational - and now because we are told that the water supply is not adequate. I have raised this here before, including in recent weeks, and I want to know what the answer is. I ask again that the Government …

I thank the Minister of State for his reply, which alluded to a 21-month waiting time. Correspondence sent to me directly by the SEAI confirmed that the waiting time is somewhere between 24 and 26 months. People came into my office in quarter 3 of 2024 and as of now, 14 months later, the SEAI cannot tell me when these homes will be surveyed. I have people in their 90s who applied in quarter 3 of 2…

I thank the Deputy for raising an important issue that is central to Ireland's economic progress and development and related issues in energy resilience, security and defence, and agriculture. The Presidency is important and it will commence on 1 July next year. It is an important opportunity for Ireland to shape the agenda, particularly at a time of change and increasing global challenges. The De…

Táim sásta a bheith anseo chun an cheist thar a bheith tábhachtach seo a phlé. Mar Aire Cultúir, Cumarsáide agus Spóirt, is í an tsábháilteacht ar líne, go háirithe do leanaí agus daoine óga, an chloch is mó ar mo phaidrín. Dála go leor eile sa Teach seo, is tuismitheoir mé mar aon le polaiteoir. Mar sin, tá sábháilteacht ar líne tábhachtach domsa mar athair. I am pleased to be here this afternoo…

I move: That Standing Order 194 is modified in accordance with Standing Order 241(2) to provide that it be an instruction to the Committee in relation to the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025, that the Committee has power to make amendments to the Bill which are outside the scope of the existing subject matter of the Bill in order to ma…

I thank the Minister for his opening remarks. This is an entirely unacceptable way to introduce significant legislative changes to the Building Control Acts. Building control may not be a matter of huge media or public interest but it is absolutely essential to the well-being of people in their homes. We know that because we are currently dealing with the general scheme of the legislation to intr…

I have been in construction all my life and the manner in which the Bill is laid out is not practical. The Government has made proposals in respect of sectors A, B and C. There is reference to repairing a wall, moving onto the next one and so on. That is specialised work. Specialised work is more expensive. Reference has been made to foundations. The criteria for foundations have completely change…

I move amendment No. 5: In page 5, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: “Report on gap between cost of remediation and grant under scheme 2. Within 3 months of the passing of this Act the Minister shall lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report examining the gap between the actual cost of remediation for eligible homeowners and the grant provided under the scheme. The repor…

The Minister of State did not deal with the issues I raised. Is it a good idea to knock down half a block, to take down half a house when the house next door is equally damaged but that has to stay because that is not eligible for the scheme? That house might be a holiday home. It could be a rental property, more than one or it could be that the person just cannot afford it which is the most commo…

-----which will improve the supply of social and affordable homes. We want to do more across our country with the local authorities to zone more land to ensure that housing supply increases. That is the number one issue for the Government. The Minister, Deputy Browne, has taken a number of interventions over the last number of months with regard to the rental market, taxation decisions and the new…

The Minister is not listening and he is not hearing. He does not understand what it feels like for people in their 20s, 30s or even 40s who have been forced to move back into their parents’ house and are now living in the box room when the Department of housing shares a video saying that maybe they should do the dishes when they are at home so they will be seen as an adult. Can the Minister under…

The law of the land is clear. Section 39(10)(b) of the defective concrete blocks Act 2022 sets out the powers of the appeals board. It may direct the Housing Agency or a local authority to reconsider a decision in line with the board's directions or it may replace the decision entirely with a new determination. That is what the Oireachtas intended. That is the safeguard homeowners were told they …

I thank the Deputy. I have heard him speak in this House passionately about lots of things, including the issue of dereliction in recent times. Dereliction during a housing emergency is a particular challenge as something that should be almost socially unacceptable. We have an emergency. All of us recognise that. We have different views on how best to tackle it, but tackling dereliction needs to b…

The point Deputy Gould makes about what is derelict, and getting all of that right and underpinning it in legislation, is exactly what we will have to do when we are bringing the legislation through this House. The Deputy is right when he says that it cannot be just a lick of paint or somebody pretending to resolve the dereliction. We all have to be serious about this. We can debate the structure …

One of the biggest failures of this Government is the whole area of affordable housing. In large numbers of local authorities across the State, there is just no plan to roll out affordable housing schemes. I can speak with authority about my home county of Donegal. Again and again, I have submitted questions to the Minister and to his predecessor, Deputy O'Brien. I have appealed to them to put in …