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502. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of tenant in situ applications, for social housing and cost-rental properties, completed, by local authority, for the years 2023 and 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73457/25]

504. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the key measures taken to expand social housing provision during 2025; his priorities for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73534/25]

505. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the key measures taken to expand affordable housing provision during 2025; his priorities for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73535/25]

513. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the key measures taken to boost overall housing supply during 2025; his priorities for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73543/25]

514. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a report on the work of the Housing Activation Office during 2025; his priorities for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73544/25]

518. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has conducted any internal analysis, review or assessment since 2023 to explain increases in the average cost per social housing unit in Cork city and Cork county; and if so, to detail the factors identified as contributing to those cost increases and the actions taken in response. [73644/2…

522. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department benchmarks the cost of delivering social and affordable housing units in Ireland against comparable EU member states; if so, to detail the most recent benchmarking exercise carried out; and if not, the reasons such benchmarking is not undertaken. [73648/25]

525. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the criteria guidelines, rules and regulations in relation to requirements by Local Authorities to purchase houses for people with special requirements; the total amount of funding provided to Laois County Council for 2026 for this purpose; the expected number of properties that can be purchased for t…

528. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of households on the social housing waiting list and the number in emergency accommodation in County Waterford at the end of 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form. [73726/25]

533. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 40 of 25 November 2025, when he anticipates a conclusion or further update between Dublin City Council and Pembroke Beach DAC in respect of the delivery of affordable housing in this first phase, in accordance with the terms of the SDZ condition; if he can confirm that th…

535. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can detail, in relation to the affordable housing fund, cost rental equity loan scheme and secure tenancy affordable rental investment scheme, the names of each respective delivery partner currently awarded funding under one of those schemes or seeking funding under those schemes; the number of cost ren…

282. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the level of housing and local authority service provision in County Longford and Westmeath compared with the national average. [72687/25]

296. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the announced removal of the blanket pet ban on tenants in social housing will be introduced. [72789/25]

297. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the announced removal of the blanket pet ban on tenants in social housing will apply retroactively to tenancy contracts signed before this announcement. [72791/25]

542. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the guidance provided to local authorities in regard to the assessment of savings when it comes to assessing income for social housing support, in particular when it concerns a disabled person whose savings are a result of receiving an inheritance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71331/25]

551. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average cost per local authority for constructing houses in 2024 and 2025 where the local authority directly contracted builders, with figures provided separately for each local authority. [71538/25]

553. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average purchase price paid by each Dublin city and county local authority for houses purchased on the open market in 2024 and 2025, with figures provided separately for each local authority. [71540/25]

555. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications on the social housing waiting list for County Mayo, in November 2025, by towns, in tabular form. [71572/25]

556. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing applicants in County Mayo requesting one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom and four-bedroom accommodation, as of November 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71573/25]

594. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the overall percentage of social housing delivered in 2025 under universal design principles. [72147/25]

595. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will publish figures on the numbers of people on social housing lists longer than seven, eight, nine and 10 years and so on, respectively, by local authority administrative area based on SSHA figures provided by local authorities. [72149/25]

596. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the allocation for 2026 social housing acquisition programme. [72150/25]

604. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are instances whereby the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant will be approved for an applicant who has sold their house, moved into a vacant property, and then applied for the grant for that property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72300/25]

610. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the categories of infrastructure barriers escalated to him by the Housing Activation Office since 2023, including transport, utilities, water services, planning or procurement; and the corrective actions his Department has directed in each case. [72311/25]

611. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline his Department has set for publishing a consolidated annual report of housing activation barriers, actions and progress; and whether this report will include local-authority-level detail. [72312/25]

I thank the Minister for finally coming before the Dáil to speak to this housing plan, a plan which is a blueprint for failure. It has next to nothing to say about rural depopulation because we know it will take real action to confront that problem. Communities across the State are being slowly hollowed out - in some cases quite quickly - because the Government has failed to deliver the homes, the…

In one single school in Dubai, there are 50 Irish teachers. I have spoken to some of them and they talk about coming home. They wonder how they are going to find somewhere to live and how they are going to survive in a cost-of-living crisis when they come home - if they come home. A teacher contacted me just today. Schools in Dublin West have had to cancel subjects, with children unable to take th…

I welcome the updated housing plan. The plan is only as good as the money that goes into it and ultimately this is the largest investment that has ever been made into housing. The launch of the infrastructure plan this morning will give the plan the credence it needs to go forward and actually deliver the homes. They have to be underpinned by the necessary infrastructure. Once we have the infrastr…

The programme for Government commits to investing additional capital in Uisce Éireann to support reaching housing targets. We are going to prioritise water and wastewater infrastructure to deliver the capacity to facilitate housing development in our towns and villages. I welcome the recent investment of over €12.2 billion in Irish Water but we need delivery on it. At the moment the respect shown …

I apologise to my colleague. I was on the wrong clock and I was thinking, "He has gone a minute over time" but he was within time. He will be looking back at the video asking, "What was your man doing there behind me?" I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this. The Minister and Minister of State, Deputies Browne and O'Donnell, are two good men leading the Department. This plan is ambitio…

We can build houses there if Uisce Éireann will provide the infrastructure. Time and again, every chance I have had to raise housing in this Chamber, I have done so and at every opportunity, I will again. We want houses in Cloghjordan and Ballycommon and they can be built if we provide the infrastructure, but it is urgent. It is needed now, not in five or ten years. My generation needs it now. We…

I note the Government's plan and in the limited time I want to focus on one aspect of it, namely, the incoherence in terms of infrastructure and facilities tied in alongside. To give an example, four years ago I proposed rezoning land beside Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in an industrial area right beside the M50. It would have made perfect logical sense to build housing right opposite a major sho…

I am glad to be able to speak tonight. I welcome the proactivity of the Minister, Deputy Browne, and his junior Minister from Port Láirge. Is the Minister going to extend the situation whereby commercial properties can be used for housing without planning permission? That is so important. Is he going to do something about backyard developments behind houses, which are not mentioned this plan at a…

To echo what my colleague has said, there is a need for a very clear plain language explanation of what is the rationale behind these changes. I was at the committee last week and while there is clearly a need to make changes they need to be explained. It is very frustrating for us as new TDs to come in here when we had heard from the previous Government, which the Minister was part of, that essen…

I thank the Minister for being here. My colleagues have brought this up and the Whip is looking into the delay of the publication of this Bill. However, it is difficult to come in here this evening and to speak to it truly as our constituents expect us to do so. We would love to get to the bottom of why it was published so late that when we are speaking about issues, we can be well informed. Today…

I broadly welcome that the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 is finally before the House. Families have waiting for far too long for even the small improvements contained in these pages. Any step, no matter how modest, that puts a few euro back into the pockets of the struggling homeowners is good. However, let us also call things by the…

In my role as a TD, I have had direct involvement on behalf of local communities in respect of the location of wind turbines in various locations throughout County Laois, and some of those developments also impacted on neighbouring counties such as Kilkenny and Carlow. Many years ago, the first involvement I had on behalf of a community was regarding a wind farm called Gortahile in Rossmore, which…

Before I start off, I thank John Campbell, Mark Nolan, Emma Corrigan, my colleagues here in Independent Ireland and, most of all, the whistleblowers who gave us the details and information on this to make sure that we could bring a Private Members' Bill to the Government on which it is after delivering 20 minutes of waffle outside of what we were talking about. I want to make quite clear what we …

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2025, copies of which were laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on the 16th October, 2025. I am delighted to have the opportunity to address an important topic, namely, the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2025. I will be sharing my time with my colleague, the Ministe…

On the greyhound racing side in 2024, 358,141 people attended just short of 1,500 race meetings at 14 stadia. The economic activity point has been made by a number of Deputies regarding the attendances at those stadia, the spin-off industry that happens in the bars and restaurants outside the racing activity, the best dressed ladies, the boutiques, the hairdressers, the men's clothes shops and al…

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 6 months, beginning on the 1st day of December, 2025, and ending on the 31st day of May, 2026. I am here to introduce a resolution to extend the sunset clause in the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) …

Deputy Doherty has decided to continue to ignore the reality with his fanciful economic ideology of the fact that there are at least 42,000 apartments in this capital city that have planning permission today that have been deemed not viable to build. I want to build them while Deputy Doherty wants to continue to call people names. It makes sense to try to ensure those apartments are built because …

I agree with the points made by the previous two speakers. I also raise the fact that it has been two weeks since the new housing plan was published. The main innovation is the removal of annual targets to prevent accountability for the failure of this Government to deliver affordable housing, while allowing a small few to get extraordinarily rich. Since the plan has been published, we have been …

These resolutions are to fix the serious flaws in the financial resolutions brought forward on budget night. Those mistakes the Government made just a few weeks ago were highlighted to it on budget night but it ploughed ahead regardless with its flawed financial resolutions. The effect of the resolutions before us today will be to put more money into the pockets of developers. This is another exam…

I welcome the decision to cut the VAT on apartments from 13.5% to 9%. It is a practical step and one that will help reduce costs and encourage the construction of homes we so desperately need. Let us be clear: cutting VAT alone will not solve this crisis. I hear speaker after speaker condemning the landlord. Lord God almighty, where do they think we are going to get houses from? It does not appear…

In traditional council housing or social housing if the tenant's income changes or the number of people in the house changes because kids leave or anybody leaves, the tenant does not get thrown out of the house. They do not get threatened with possible homelessness. They do not build up arrears. The rent is adjusted to the tenant's means and to the number of people in the house. That does not happ…

Can I give the Minister of State a bit of advice and provide him with a solution? I sincerely want the Government to take this on board. He has just said the voids programme will be open in the new year. Why is it not open today? Why is the voids programme not open 365 days a year so that when a house comes back, the local authority can fix it up and allocate it out? Opening it just once or twice …

I want to try to address all the points, but there is a time limit. Let me try to address a couple of things quickly, and then some of the more detailed issues. In relation to the 2024 annual report for CHI, the annual financial statements are with the Comptroller and Auditor General. The intention is for it to be published by the end of the year. Forgive me, but I cannot recall who mentioned inf…

I am pleased to commend the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 to the House. No amendments to the Bill have been tabled on Committee Stage. I particularly acknowledge the co-operation and support that has been given to the Bill by colleagues and party spokespersons across the House. I also extend my thanks to the Oireachtas staff, in particular the staff of the Bills Office …

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the nomination by the Taoiseach of the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton for appointment by the President to be a member of the Government. Ba mhian liom a fhógairt do Dháil Éireann go bhfuair mé fógra ón Aire Airgeadais, an Teachta Paschal Donohoe, go bhfuil sé ag éirí as a phost mar Aire Airgeadais agus mar bhall Rialtais. Chuir mé é sin in iúl do…