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509. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to address long waiting times for allocation of social housing (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37195/25]

522. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to revise the income eligibility limit for affordable cost rental in County Cork to match the household income limit that applies in Dublin, given the comparable cost of living and price of houses in both areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37428/25]

524. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what his department doing to ensure that The Apartment and Duplex Remediation Bill 2004 comes before the Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage for pre-legislative scrutiny in the Dáil autumn term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37449/25]

533. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the ongoing housing crisis and the need to support families in mortgage-to-rent schemes in meeting their financial and social needs, if his Department has considered reviewing or amending current legislation and tenancy agreements to allow such tenants to sublet one or two rooms in their homes, provided t…

539. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to amend the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011; if legislation to underpin the defects remediation schemes will be laid before the Oireachtas Housing Committee for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny before the end of 2025; and when the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill will be passed and commenced. [37…

254. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated number of completed housing units nationally that cannot be occupied due to a lack of capacity in water infrastructure, both wastewater and water. [36812/25]

269. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of positions that remain vacant in the housing section of Cork City Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36947/25]

270. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of positions remain vacant in the housing section of Cork County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36948/25]

272. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of houses purchased through the tenant (incremental) purchase scheme 2016 since 2016 through Cork City Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36951/25]

273. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of houses purchased through the tenant (incremental) purchase scheme since 2016 through Cork County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36952/25]

138. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average waiting time for social housing allocation in each local authority in 2024 and 2025; and the average length of stay in emergency homelessness accommodation. [36445/25]

148. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current allowances payable under the mortgage allowance scheme to assist householders who are tenants or tenant purchasers of local authority houses to become owner-occupiers of other dwellings; the date on which those allowances were last amended, if he proposes to increase the allowances under this scheme; …

3. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the development of the Government’s housing plan; if it will be published before the summer recess; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35894/25]

5. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason he decided to withdraw funding for social housing PPP bundles shovel ready this week; and the measures he will take to ensure the 3,000 social homes planned as PPPs are going to be delivered in the original timeframe. [36246/25]

7. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has undertaken a review of utility infrastructure deficits in rural towns and villages; how these deficits are currently limiting the delivery of rural housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36137/25]

11. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a date for when his revised housing plan will be completed and published. [35826/25]

15. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the efforts he and his Department have made to encourage new technologies in the construction sector; the role he believes modular housing can play in the current crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35401/25]

16. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if new EE-zoned land will be identified in tandem with industrial land rezonings for housing to enable relocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35806/25]

17. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on plans to introduce a new local infrastructure housing activation fund-type scheme; if such a scheme could be made available for the St. Waleran’s site in Gorey, County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35378/25]

18. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department made a submission to the EU's consultation on an Affordable Housing Plan for Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35896/25]

19. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a proportion of the Rathbourne Wharf development, where 326 social houses and 399 cost-rental homes funded through CALF and CREEL, as cost-rental homes for essential workers in line with commitments in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35776/25]

20. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the recent changes to the local authority housing adaptation grants regarding central heating systems, and to allow the grant to fund the replacement of new oil or gas boilers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34599/25]

23. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on plans to deliver an affordable housing scheme in County Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35793/25]

26. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he is taking to ensure affordable housing is delivered in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35256/25]

27. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how he intends that the Land Development Agency will support local authorities, the Housing Activation Office and his Department in master planning and infrastructure provision in new towns and districts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35637/25]

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for giving me the opportunity to reply to him on this issue. The Government is providing €325 million in 2025 for local authorities to buy second-hand properties, with a particular focus on the tenant in situ scheme, where tenants in receipt of HAP or RAS receive a notice of termination. While the clear focus of the Government must remain on increasing the supply of new-b…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: "Dáil Éireann declines to give a second reading to the Broadcasting (Oversight of RTÉ Accounts) (Amendment) Bill 2024, on the grounds that a general scheme achieving the same policy objective has been referred to the relevant Oireachtas Committee for pre-legislative scrutiny.". Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis seo…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: acknowledges: — the vital role played by carers and front-line healthcare workers in supporting older people, people with disabilities, and those with high care needs within their homes and communities; — the indispensable contribution of these workers in alleviating pressure on hospitals and long-term residential care facilities through early intervention, continuit…

Parallel with sustained investment from the public purse, the Exchequer, we will need a significant increase in private sector investment. We need to be in line with the Housing Commission and we will see what the review brings forward but we most certainly need to create a secure investment landscape for investment in housing into the future on the private side to supplement the record levels of …

I have met them. We discussed one of the critical issues in towns and villages across the country, which is the need to free up capacity, for example to local builders if they are developing a housing estate of 20 houses or 50 houses so that they would be able to develop their own treatment facility according to the specifications set by Uisce Éireann. That would then be subject to inspection. I t…

We gather for these statements today with warnings ringing in our ears that thousands of children are at risk of death in the coming days. According to UNICEF, more than 15,000 children in Gaza have been killed, more than 34,000 injured and nearly 1 million displaced. Gaza has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world and 17,000 children are unaccompanied or separated from their…

A few weeks ago, I raised the issue of Gaza here on the occasion of statements in respect of the European Council. I noted that we needed a united European voice in response to the conflict. Unfortunately, across the Continent we have not seen that united voice. I certainly welcome yesterday's news regarding the review of the trade deal but, sadly, since then the situation in Gaza has not changed.…

We can all see how passionate the Minister of State is about National Biodiversity Week. I am pleased to follow my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, and to join this important discussion as we mark National Biodiversity Week. It is a key moment in our national calendar when we reflect on, celebrate and, most important, act to protect and restore Ireland's precious na…

The Minister for housing was in the House twice last week answering questions about housing. If anybody looks at the agenda, they can see that he has been in the House almost every week since the Dáil formed 16 weeks ago.

Regarding real investment in dwellings, the Irish economy registered the fourth largest increase across the 27 EU countries between 2020 and 2024. The House may be interested to know that a recent Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, publication in 2024 comparing housing supply across Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales found that Ireland and Northern Ireland had the hi…

There are two things. First, many local authorities do a lot of good work in terms of voids. The Deputy has sat on a council. I think all of us have complained over the years where a house, which has been vacated due to tenants leaving for whatever reason, has remained unoccupied for an inordinate length of time. That system has to change. That house should be very quickly reallocated to other ten…

I know the Minister for children is a very decent person. There are tens of thousands of families affected by what we are talking about, my own included. I deal with this issue every day. In my clinic recently, nine out of 17 appointments concerned issues experienced by people with autism. I have probably been involved the longest with Cara Darmody and with her father and mother in fighting for t…

No one wants to see Cara Darmody outside of this House. I join with Deputy Alan Kelly when he said that the last thing we would expect in a democracy like ours, with an economy that is doing well, is a 14-year-old outside Leinster House campaigning not just for her own family members but to highlight what is going on right around the country. It is not right. The Minister or some senior official s…

I thank the Minister of State for facilitating this debate, which we badly need to have. I do not want to repeat everything that has been said. The position is stark with 15,000 children waiting for assessments and very poor figures for those who get assessments within the six months. The overwhelming majority do not get assessments within the six months, which is a requirement under the 2005 Act.…

Will the Minister update the House on the ongoing delay in approvals of social and affordable housing projects for local authorities and approved housing bodies? In particular, how many of the 3,000 units that got Cabinet funding approval on 18 February still have not been formally approved and notified to the local authorities and approved housing bodies? How many projects beyond the 3,000 are al…

I thank Deputy Ó Broin for raising this important question about the tenant in situ scheme and housing first. Tenant in situ acquisitions have been an important measure in the prevention of homelessness since their introduction in 2023. The Government has therefore agreed to continue such acquisitions in 2025 and has increased the funding available for second-hand social acquisitions from the €60…

I thank the Minister and welcome his commitment to vacant housing and the voids. The figure of more than €300 million since 2014 is very significant. I very much welcome the Minister's statements on a commitment to a prompt turnaround of properties, ensuring only essential work is carried out so those houses can be re-let quickly and that any other work that is non-essential can be done through a …

The Minister outlined the amount of money given to the tenant in situ scheme. Two weeks ago, I raised with the Taoiseach and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, the 33 families in Cork whose houses were sale agreed. Cork City Council was going to buy the houses but on 4 April it informed Cork City Council councillors that there was no money left to go ahead. I was told the Government was goi…

I have said before that housing is the number one issue affecting my generation. Whether we call them modular units, modular methods of construction or log cabins, we know what we are talking about. I am aware of many in rural Ireland up laneways or in yards, and planning permission is a major issue. We need to address that. In a rural area, if it is in keeping with the environment, which so many …

Taking the last point first, we have increased the grant amounts and income exemptions considerably. For instance, if someone has an income of below €40,000, they get 100% of the grant, the disabled persons grant and the housing adaptation grant, which was previously 95%. Furthermore, we have increased the level of the grants. We are always seeking to ensure that what is on offer meets the needs o…

I raise this in the context of a very live issue. Dublin City Council recently went out to public consultation on a brownfield site known as Ballyboggan where more than 6,000 homes could be built. As part of that consultation, Uisce Éireann identified two very significant challenges to the delivery of those homes. The first was wastewater treatment and the absence of a wastewater treatment plant i…

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on the national driver test service. I will share time with the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer. By way of background, the Road Safety Authority, RSA, has statutory responsibility for the national driver test service under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006. The service has a target average wait time of ten weeks between when someone applies to si…

Of course, we support any initiatives that will help to tackle the scourge of vacancy and dereliction but it is simply not good enough for the Taoiseach, as leader of the party that has held the housing brief for five years, to pass the buck to local authorities. That is not good enough. He speaks of a "razor-like focus" on tackling vacancy and dereliction. That is exactly what we are not seeing f…

It is not always about handouts. You can go around certain local authority estates and see six vacant houses. Millions are not needed to put those houses back into use. They should never be vacant for beyond a month. I am not just saying this now; I have said this to local authorities time and again. We have taken void initiative after void initiative. The dependency culture kicks, that they will…

The collapse of the houses at the canal yesterday encapsulates the scandal of dereliction and vacancy in this country. There are 160,000 vacant properties, 50,000 of which have been vacant for six years or more. Despite the immense housing crisis and the fact that over 15,000 people are living in emergency accommodation right now, the Government has done very little to address this. These homes w…