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59. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that Roscommon County Council is currently missing its housing targets by approximately 50 percent; the specific measures his Department will take to support Roscommon County Council in meeting the targets set out in its County Development Plan, which calls for an average of 392 new homes per year b…

60. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the stalled PPP housing bundles; to provide an updated delivery time frame for the projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53898/25]

61. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to expand the provision of modular housing; the number of modular units which have been built since 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53633/25]

62. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to revise the first home scheme house value limits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53577/25]

63. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to increase the number of long-term private rental houses across the country. [53286/25]

64. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to implement a State savings scheme, similar to the Social Democrats' homes for Ireland State savings scheme, to fund the delivery of affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53900/25]

65. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to review social housing income thresholds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53574/25]

68. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether national guidance exists for social housing tenants and applicants fleeing domestic, sexual, and gender violence to another local jurisdiction; whether he is aware that local authority councils are instructing those abuse survivor transfer applicants to return to their original jurisdiction where they may…

69. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the report recently published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission which warned that the Government is unlikely to meet its targets to retrofit more than 36,000 houses; the measures he will take to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53722/25]

72. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his proposals to roll out more affordable housing schemes in 2025 and 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53741/25]

77. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the allocation provided to each local authority in 2024 to complete change of tenancy works on local authority social housing stock, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53176/25]

81. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the rural housing guidelines; the timeline for publication of the guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53905/25]

85. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to clarify the methodology through which local authorities are funded to support the purchase of land and meet the development costs of providing affordable housing schemes within their administrative area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53177/25]

88. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding being provided for affordable housing under Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53738/25]

89. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the progress being made to update and publish the rural housing planning guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53881/25]

91. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the work of the Strategic Housing Activation Office; when the permanent head of the office will be announced; the powers of the office; if he intends to underpin the office with legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53939/25]

98. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to urgently amend the national planning framework and the sustainable rural housing guidelines as county development plans are aligned with these national policies which prohibits many applicants building a family home on their own land and buying a site and building a permanent place of residence around the to…

104. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the significantly increased housing targets for local authorities, if his Department will ensure that the local authorities are adequately resourced to deal with the expected increased volumes of planning applications. [53892/25]

112. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures his Department is evaluating to promote the conversion of older buildings for housing delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53283/25]

117. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the discussion he has had with local authorities regarding the vacant housing turnaround times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53576/25]

121. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department intends to exercise its powers to directly rezone land where local authorities fail to do so in line with national housing and planning objectives; the legislative basis for such intervention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53757/25]

122. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the work of the multistakeholder group under his Department in respect of developer provided wastewater treatment plants, commonly called DPI, in housing estates that are not in the charge of local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53725/25]

129. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which he is prioritising and targeting the recently announced additional €50 million for housing acquisitions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53746/25]

130. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of registered derelict or vacant housing properties in Dublin Rathdown; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53386/25]

132. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is satisfied that local authorities are responding positively to the National Planning Framework and are complying with the objectives of the Revised National Planning Framework; if he will provide an update on the progress made on housing and infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the ma…

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett. I say to Michael and Shannon and to all people across the country in need of housing that every action we take is to increase the number of homes that are available to rent or buy. That is not just one type of home. It is more social homes, more affordable homes and homes through the Land Development Agency, LDA. Quite an incredible the number of homes are now receivin…

I want to thank my colleague, Teachta Eoin Ó Broin, for his work on this legislation. It is very much required simply because of the length of time that families are left on social housing waiting lists. In my area, it is 14 years. That is hard to believe, is it not? They are left for so long that they are forced to move to counties and places outside of their original area. What happens then is t…

Looking at the bigger picture, in 30 years' time, in 2056, it is estimated that the sea level will have risen by up to half a metre, so we are talking about a lot of land along the coast that will be decimated no matter what we do, no matter how many Y-shaped concrete structures we put in. In terms of being strategic with that climate change risk, we have to look at certain areas that will have to…

I am grateful for the opportunity to come before the House today. Members have already heard about the important work being undertaken across government to address the issues raised in this debate. I welcome the opportunity to engage further with Members, particularly on the role of the Office of Public Works in managing flood risk in Ireland. First, I want to recognise the hardship and trauma ca…

I thank all the Deputies who contributed. It is important at the outset to ask what the purpose of legacy is and what the purpose of Denton and Kenova, which we are discussing today, was. The purpose is to provide answers for families that never got justice and whose family members were killed in brutal circumstances in what everyone can agree was a dirty war on the part of everyone who participat…

There is no absolute clarity on whether a house would be deemed unsuitable because there might be, say, an extra child or a boy and girl and then all of a sudden there is overcrowding. The landlord can tick a box and they have an excuse to get them out and then look at ways they can increase their income. Those types of unknowns are very worrying. The one I mentioned on Second Stage was the mindse…

-----if we freeze the situation as the Opposition wants to do, that is the situation. We are delivering record affordable housing. In 2024 we delivered the largest amount of social housing since the 1970s and we will have the 2025 social housing numbers quite soon as well. That is what we are doing here. We want to solve the housing crisis. That is what we are working towards. I get what the Oppos…

It is deeply disappointing that the Minister of State is rejecting these amendments. I also cannot wrap my head around the fact that the Minister, Deputy Browne, said he does not tolerate or accept one child being homeless. Right now, the Minister of State could prevent thousands of children becoming homeless in the coming months by agreeing to this amendment but he is not doing it. He shakes his …

It was interesting to hear what the Minister of State said in response to the instance that I set out of the couple and their child. I was just looking through the details of the case. They brought their youngest child with them. As I was reading over the details of the case, I realised that they have a daughter as well. Their son is two-years-old with special needs and autism. He was just diagnos…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is an extremely important issue. The ultimate priority, of course, is housing. All of us in this House agreed a long time ago that housing is a priority. Short-term lets, particularly in cities and large towns, have replaced a lot of rental properties for housing. That is the ultimate priority. Cities and large towns provide the best opportunity for sh…

I thank the Deputy for the question. As he will be aware, the standard rates of stamp duty currently applying on the acquisition of residential property are 1% on values up to €1 million, 2% on values exceeding €1 million and 6% on any balance above €1.5 million. However, in May 2021, a higher stamp duty rate was introduced with the aim of disincentivising investment funds from buying up large num…

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for raising the need for more affordable homes and the concerns of Saoirse and Darren so that it is an option for them to purchase their own home which is something they want to do. We have included in the new housing plan that local authorities not only must have commitments to social housing and social housing action plans for their own county but must also now have a…

I welcome the statements on road safety this afternoon. I am conscious of the dreadful accident in the city centre today that many Deputies have mentioned. I know everyone's thoughts and prayers in the House are with those affected, their families and indeed the emergency services that have responded. I welcome the series of decisive actions taken by the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, in response …

I also add my voice in relation to those who have been injured and offer condolences to the family of the man who has died. I have spoken too many times over the last short period about absolute tragedies. It is obviously disappointing to see this on the streets of Dublin. Too many times have I had to commend those who work in the emergency services. As Deputy O’Reilly said, we do not always think…

On 4 October 2023, more than two years ago, I stood here and raised the disgraceful revelations that the HSE was sitting on a massive portfolio of vacant properties. Over 200 HSE-owned buildings and sites lay idle while the housing crisis tightened its grip on families. Back then, nearly 4,000 children were homeless and average rents for new tenancies stood at €1,590. Today, two years on, more tha…

I move: That leave be given to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for an entitlement of an employee to remote working arrangements where reasonably practicable, for this purpose to amend the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, and to provide for related matters. Colleagues may recall that a couple of weeks ago, my colleague Deputy Mark Wall proposed a motion in this…

Critical to the delivery of housing, the Government's top priority, is the need to unlock infrastructure that will allow that housing to be provided. I would be grateful for an update on the housing activation fund. In particular, the provision of the northern inner relief road for Gorey will unlock 73 acres of land in St. Waleran's for housing development. Now that the wastewater treatment plant …

The housing crisis is an absolute social catastrophe. I was contacted yesterday by a woman who is a civil servant, who is in her 50s and who has been evicted from her home into homelessness. What is the Government going to do about homelessness? In particular, what is it going to do about the delivery of social and affordable housing? Today the Social Democrats launched a detailed proposal for a S…

Yes. That is a school I helped enormously when it was starting. The only challenge is that it produced an awful lot of high-quality Kerry footballers afterwards who won All-Irelands against us, which was pointed out to me with glee by some of the Deputy's colleagues. I have visited St. Brendan's College. A lot of people raise school issues. We are spending a lot more money on schools. A lot more s…

I welcome the legislation before the House and I commend the Minister and the Minister of State on their work in progressing it. The need for reform in the sector itself is clear. The legislation, as my colleagues said, seeks to strike a balance between strengthening protections for tenants while also ensuring landlords stay in the rental market. However, there are a few issues I believe must be a…

I thank the Minister of State for being here and facilitating the discussion this evening. I commend him and the Minister, Deputy Browne, on having the courage to undertake a fundamental reform of the rental sector, which was long overdue. It is critically important that reform has taken place in accordance with what is proposed here. As we know, there is a chronic shortage of properties in the r…

It is hard to call this anything other than the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael rent-hike Bill. This is going to allow vulture funds and big landlords to hike up the rents of 60,000 people every year. That means thousands of euro extra will be paid in rent from 1 March. It is hard to believe. In fairness, Deputy Ó Laoghaire said it earlier. Whatever about the setting of the rules, there is a huge level …

That is good news. I want to move on to the poultry. Before Christmas, a couple of flocks in Monaghan were affected by bird flu. From speaking to one of the owners, I know that, never mind the loss of the birds you have in your house, it is the cleaning of the house and the disposal of the bedding and shavings. Even shavings that were on-site had to be sent to a specialist for disposal. Following …

You would swear the number of new houses was down today, based on that. The number of new homes completed last year represents an increase of 20% on the previous year. For the people listening at home - and just in case they missed the bit at the start - there were almost 6,000 homes built last year than the year before. We are now living in a country where 600 first-time buyers are buying their f…

The ESRI forecast that 35,000 homes would be built. We have exceeded that. The Central Bank of Ireland forecast that 33,500 would be built. We have exceeded that. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council forecast an assumption for this year of 34,500. We have exceeded that. We need to continue to do much more. The plan that this Government has is to deliver 300,000 homes by the end of 2030. This is a pos…