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32. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for investing additional capital in Uisce Éireann to support reaching housing targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35620/25]

39. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will work with Donegal County Council to ensure that affordable housing schemes can be delivered across the county as soon as possible, in acknowledgment of the growing number of families in Donegal who cannot afford to purchase their own home. [35224/25]

40. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will increase the overall national allocation for the housing adaptation grant scheme for older people and people with disabilities, in view of significant demand, increasing costs, and the essential role these grants play in enabling people to live safely and independently in their homes; and if he will ma…

41. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the intention within his Department to review the income thresholds for social housing applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35811/25]

43. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures his Department is taking to address the crisis of those who qualify for social housing and HAP being unable to get a social home or find a tenancy on the private market which they can afford, even with the assistance of HAP, in areas of the country where rents are above the national average, such as…

46. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how he would advise this Deputy to respond to persons about Government housing policy, especially to those who are older, over 50 and renting, with no prospect of owning a home. [27449/25]

49. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are proposals to deal with the backlog of housing adaptation grant applications at Louth County Council, which have been paused until November 2025 due to a lack of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35628/25]

51. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will provide additional funding to Sligo County Council and Leitrim County Council for the housing adaption grant scheme for older people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35416/25]

53. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement that has taken place between his Department and Uisce Éireann in relation to the progression of taking in charge of water services of completed housing estates, many of them which have been completed for more than 20 years, in view of the fact that Uisce Éireann has taken over the operation and maint…

57. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that, according to reports this week, house prices have risen to a ten-year high; if, given that in Laois this inflation has risen by 17%, combined with a shortage of affordable and cost rental homes, he will increase the threshold for afford to buy and cost rental; and if he will make a statement…

63. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on his plans to get construction going on the six social housing sites that were part of the now collapsed public private partnership bundle 3. [35822/25]

67. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how he plans to encourage the use of vacant space over commercial buildings for housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35867/25]

74. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the action he is taking to support modular housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35630/25]

80. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the urgent need for housing in Gweedore and other Gaeltacht regions in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35829/25]

82. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures that will be put in place to ensure the social housing which was due to be completed in PPP bundle 3, including 106 homes in Blessington in Wicklow, will be completed without additional delay. [35838/25]

93. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to review the housing assistance payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35788/25]

95. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to increase the availability of affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35848/25]

98. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the State will directly build social housing projects that were to be built using PPPs, in light of the escalating costs associated with PPPs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35889/25]

101. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will agree that persons (mostly women, but not exclusively) who are victims and survivors of domestic abuse face particular challenges navigating the housing crisis; if he will provide details of any specific supports in place to recognise this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35375/25]

106. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the proposed Colbert Quarter development in Limerick by the Land Development Agency (LDA); and when he expects the LDA to begin delivering houses for Limerick. [35634/25]

110. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the proposals there are to deal with issues that have arisen following the issuing of Circular 11/2025 in relation to the ability of AHBs, including St. John of God's, to provide for housing for people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35629/25]

111. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports he is providing for affordable housing and cost rental; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35877/25]

432. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on bundles 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the public private partnership social housing projects; whether they will continue as public private partnerships or be dropped; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36579/25]

433. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being considered to ensure that utility infrastructure capacity does not become a long-term barrier to rural housing development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36138/25]

434. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures taken to implement a State savings scheme such as the Social Democrats-proposed ‘Homes for Ireland’ State savings scheme, submitted to him and the Taoiseach on 19 May 2025, which would leverage the €160 billion in deposits to fund affordable housing delivery. [36247/25]

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the power of higher education, research and skills as economic enablers. My predecessor, former Deputy Seán Sherlock, was a champion of research and skills when he served as a Minister of State. It is often said that education is a great leveller, meaning that further education qualifications can enable those with the least in our society to make good careers …

I thank my colleague Deputy Ó Broin for his work on this motion. Right across counties Carlow and Kilkenny, we have towns and villages crying out for an increase in housing. These towns and villages have prime sites for housing developments that are unusable simply because the Government of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has failed to invest in adequate and fit-for-purpose infrastructure. It is common …

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion and providing us with an opportunity to speak on it. Sinn Féin is asking for three basic things. The first is clarification from the Government on its plan for funding the infrastructure that is necessary, as has been identified by so many organisations on the ground. The second is the implementation of the Housing Commission report, at least in r…

I have to agree with my colleagues. The story Michael Collins tells about west Cork is exactly the same as the story we see in Cork North-Central. We cannot build a single home in Carrignavar because there is no water treatment plant. The infrastructure in Glanmire - which is in my constituency, which is the location of the parish I was born in and which is where I got my biggest vote in the last …

“Housing and Critical Infrastructure” is a very appropriate heading for the motion as we cannot have housing without critical infrastructure. In my own county of Kerry, we are in the Dark Ages when it comes to critical infrastructure. The majority of villages in County Kerry do not have any wastewater treatment facilities. In the first week of December 2023, €6 million was announced by the Departm…

Power and water are the two biggest infrastructural issues in my area and in rural parts of constituencies. The impact of the recent storms on our power infrastructure has been absolutely devastating. It has exposed the serious vulnerability that is there. However, I will mainly focus on the water issue and Uisce Éireann. In rural south Donegal, there are very serious problems with the water. The…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the need for a new maternity unit at University Hospital Kerry. Deputy Joanna Byrne - To discuss additional funding for local authorities for housing adaptation grants, mobility aid grants and housing for…

I thank Deputy McCormack. I offer my sincere sympathy to him and his family on their loss. The Deputy is so right to highlight the importance of the electricity grid, both from an energy security and from a housing point of view. We quite rightly talk in this House about the emergency that is housing - there is no doubt about that - but the key enabler to moving forward on that emergency is water…

It is very difficult to take seriously the Government's commitments on infrastructure or on housing delivery. On infrastructure, what is clear from the correspondence and the revelations about Uisce Éireann is that it simply has not been provided with the necessary additional resourcing to enable it to step up to provide the vital connections that are necessary to ensure building at scale. On the …

With regard to the issues raised about the favoured candidate for the post, the question was whether the Government will investigate these issues, even if the Minister does not want to answer them right now. We do not need a housing tsar to contact Fingal County Council, have a meeting, discuss its needs and then organise the payment for whatever needs to be done. We do not need a housing tsar. I…

This is one of the most upsetting things that has happened in this country that anyone here is likely to be speaking on for a long while. Grace, as she has been called, was intellectually and physically disabled after complications at birth. She is non-verbal and was born to a teenage mother in a mother and baby home. That is a very difficult start in life. She was then placed in foster care, that…

I thank the House for allowing us time to continue the debate on the Farrelly report, which began last week. A number of commissions have reported to this House in my time as a TD. Certainly, a number of them have left the victims or the people at the centre of those reports very dissatisfied with the outcome. We have to ask ourselves a question about the independent commission model. It is impor…

I want to acknowledge the way the Minister went about making the rearrangements for this debate this morning and I thank her. Grace was 10 years old when she entered the foster care placement that is at the heart of the commission report. It was due to be a temporary placement in 1989. We cannot remind ourselves enough that she was a 10-year-old girl, a child, and she was without a voice. The fai…

The housing crisis is a social and economic disaster. Solving it requires an emergency response that is unprecedented in scale and a radical reset in policy. Yet, what we have seen so far from this Government is disarray, half-baked ideas, kite-flying and a complete lack of a joined-up approach. The proposed appointment of Mr. Brendan McDonagh, NAMA CEO, now appears to have been another ill-though…

Sonas Lá na Bealtaine oraibh. I am very proud member of SIPTU and have been a union member and representative all my working life. I commend the unions represented in Leinster House today promoting the benefits of union membership. I was also happy to stand with the early years childhood groups in calling on the Government to honour its pre-election promises to the sector. Trade unions pay an impo…

I raise the issue of dereliction in our cities, towns and villages. The blight of dereliction and long-term vacancy is prevalent throughout our country. According to the CSO figures for 2022, there are 163,000 derelict properties. I welcome the progress and the millions, if not billions, of euro invested nationwide clearly showing in the vacant property refurbishment grant statistics presented thi…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on the debate. I thank the Labour Party for this motion. I also thank my colleagues across the House for their meaningful contributions. I welcome parents and guardians to the Gallery. I know the challenge, anguish and difficulties they are facing to try to ensure that there are places for their children in September. Long before I took on this role, I work…

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. It is good that there has been a review of the NPF. The previous planning framework was introduced too hastily. It is good that we slow down a little, take stock and review where all of this is going. I know there is a different term used in government but I welcome the appointment of this "housing tsar", as it is being dubbed in the media. It is…

I would like to acknowledge the presence in the Public Gallery of my good friends, Paul Lenihan and Richie Herlihy. I invite the Ceann Comhairle to Cork to dine at Richie's restaurant, which is a food truck. He has the best battered sausage in Cork. I know for a fact that you too can have a body like this. I welcome the report but I feel there are lots of holes in it. In fact the entire planning …

I welcome the new planning framework recognising the need to reflect changes since 2018. Back then, it was an innovative plan. Today, we must double its ambition. Setting objectives is one thing, but delivering them is another. We speak of building 50,000 homes per year until 2040. That is achievable, but it demands radical change in efficiency and execution. People are asking about housing now, n…

The NPF is a critical tool in how we shape our housing infrastructure, services and communities. I welcome the revision placed before the House following public consultation and a comprehensive review. However, we need a plan that reflects the major changes our country has seen in recent years. Planning is not just about numbers and maps; it is about the kind of people and communities we build. T…

I do not have the cluster of amendments in front of me but we are speaking about taking away the right to jury trials. I wished the Minister the very best in his new career but I cannot but go back and read out his speech. I do not know how he is going to get around that, other than by the fact that he now has power or, as has been alluded to already, has been captured by the Department. I do not …

We have had the most expensive bike shed in the world, the €1 million security hut and the €9 million on phone pouches so people already know that the Taoiseach's Government is a serial waster of public money but this one really takes the biscuit. It has actually gone to the trouble of making up a job with a salary of €430,000 simply to give the appearance of Government action when it is doing not…

Not since the 1970s have we seen that level and scale of social house building and social house provision. Those are the facts. We need to do far more than that but, without question, the number of social houses built in the past three to four years is without compare and we would have to go back to the 1970s to get similar levels of social house completion.

In the first three years of Housing for All - 2022 to 2024 - overall housing targets were exceeded. It is not all failure and failure as Deputy McDonald dismisses it. Those were the targets set by Housing for All and they were exceeded. More than 130,000 houses were constructed.