Search the Dáil record

497. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on his Department’s efforts to fulfil the Programme for Government’s commitment to establish a unit in the Housing Agency to regulate owners’ management companies to ensure effective governance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31909/25]

509. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the time it takes, on average, for each local authority to turn around, or clean out, vacant properties and make them available to qualified housing applicants, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32191/25]

514. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the impact of delays to delivery of PPP bundle 3 on social housing delivery in Dublin northwest, where 183 social homes are now delayed, representing a significant proportion of projected delivery over the next two years. [32297/25]

529. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the 2024 interim review of the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027 Implementation Plan will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32597/25]

530. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will consider changes to the vacant property grant (croí conaithe grant) to allow houses built but not completed from the 31 December 2007 deadline under the current regulations to 31 December 2009 (details supplied). [32598/25]

534. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the third draft of the byelaws given to him in September 2024 by Waterways Ireland officials, without being reviewed with stakeholders, without restarting the 90 days of consultation period and effectively not complying with the recommendation of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing (details…

549. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of legal cases defended by his Department in each of the past ten years in respect of alleged failures in State duties arising from the Housing Acts; of those cases, the number in which proceedings are pending or continuing; the number of cases which were lost and won, respectively, in the same period;…

550. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details concerning the implementation of the tenant-in-situ scheme by Cork City Council, particularly in light of recent developments and guidance under Circular 11/2025 (details supplied), given the pressing need for stability and clarity in the delivery of housing supports; and if he will make a stat…

380. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the latest bundle of public private partnerships social housing projects; whether any of the bundle of six projects is being dropped; and if so, where these projects are and the reason why they have been dropped. [31391/25]

382. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to ensure that State policies support the collaborative development of standard house and apartment types to drive efficiency, reduce costs and support viability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31413/25]

385. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the mechanism through which funding allocations allocated to each local authority for the provision of disabled persons grant and the improvement works in lieu schemes for local authority housing stock were arrived at; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31522/25]

737. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will introduce the regulations dealing with service charges and sinking funds; and if the Housing Agency will have enough resources in 2026 in order that it can commence regulating the OMC sector as promised in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31289/25]

744. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he expects legislation to underpin remediation schemes to come before the Oireachtas Housing Committee for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29031/25]

747. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will engage with the Minister for Health, in regard to utilising HSE buildings and lands across County Kerry for housing, that are no longer being utilised and are surplus to requirement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29066/25]

752. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of the measure A7 funding of the 2024–2026 multi-annual rural water programme for a group water scheme (details supplied); if there is an appeal procedure available for group water schemes that have not been recommended for funding; if group water schemes are permitted to contribute finan…

756. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the legislation to underpin the defects remediation schemes will be set before the Oireachtas Housing Committee for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29221/25]

762. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to put in place a defective concrete blocks grant scheme for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29227/25]

766. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will commit to bringing legislation to underpin the defects remediation schemes before the Oireachtas Housing Committee for pre-legislative scrutiny in autumn 2025 at the latest, and to ensure the full legislative process on the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill is completed by the Easter r…

768. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if local authorities will be encouraged and supported to provide low-cost sites to help those with a housing need, particularly first-time builders/buyers, as fully serviced, ready-to-build sites at a reduced cost would prove enormously successful in allowing people to construct their own homes; and if he will…

777. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the additional cost to the Exchequer for every additional 1,000 affordable housing units delivered through the following schemes, CREL construction, CREL turnkey, AHF construction, and AHF turnkey. [29385/25]

778. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the additional cost of increasing the funding for housing adaptation grants by 25%, 50% and 100%. [29386/25]

779. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the additional cost of increasing the funding for social housing retrofits by 25%, 50% and 100%. [29387/25]

780. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the additional cost of increasing the funding for social housing maintenance including the voids programme by 25%, 50% and 100%. [29388/25]

802. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the legal, statutory or circular basis for the application of the local connection condition to the assessment for accessing social housing support. [29575/25]

806. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Housing Agency will be provided with additional resources in 2026 via Budget 2026, in order that it can commence the work of regulating the owners' management companies sector, as promised in the Programme for Government. [29670/25]

I do not expect this Government to tell the truth about anything relating to housing in light of the Taoiseach's repeated refusal to confirm or deny that the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform deliberately misled the Irish people during the general election, but here are some truths. Since April 2023, 2,500 households have been prevented from becoming ho…

I wish the Minister well in his new role. The tenant in situ scheme has been hugely successful in preventing hundreds of families in Cork from becoming homeless. This scheme has allowed Cork County Council to buy up properties for tenants who face a no-fault eviction notice allowing the family to remain in the property as council tenants. This scheme is working and should be expanded to ensure the…

On International Women's Day, every day and every year, this House has statements on issues facing women. I feel a bit heavier this year because of the number of domestic violence services that have come into the audiovisual room here since I was elected in November. A motion tabled by Deputy Coppinger has been debated. The issue of gender-based violence in this country is not reducing; in fact, i…

The motion is right that there has been a lot of waste by this Government so far and by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments down through the years. The motion and the analysis and speeches we have heard from the proposers, however, fail to look under the bonnet and figure out why this waste is happening. The solutions proposed would actually make things even worse. The motion seeks to…

That is why there is prioritisation in the tenant in situ scheme that has been announced by the Minister for housing with approximately €325 million allocated, which is a substantial sum. There should be prioritisation because the original idea of this was to prevent people from falling into homelessness. Additional to that, of course, there is significant investment under way in the Housing First…

Tá grúpaí Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta fud fad na tíre buartha faoi staid reatha na teanga. Is cinnte go bhfuil rudaí maithe ar nós Kneecap, "An Cailín Ciúin" agus eile ann ach níl ag éirí go maith leis an nGaeilge sa chóras oideachais. Tá crúachas ann i maoiniú na Gaeilge sa phobal agus tá fadhbanna an-mhór le tithíocht sa Ghaeltacht. There is a welcome flourishing of the Irish language in communities…

I welcome the pupils and teachers from the CBS in Charleville who made the journey here today, especially Maddie, coming here on her sixth birthday, and my nephew Shane, who attends the CBS. I want to ask the Taoiseach about the defective blocks. He mentioned €2.2 billion is going to be spent on this. When the 5% tax on concrete products was brought in, it was €100 per sq. ft. It is now €200 per …

I represent the constituency of Dublin Fingal West, which is in the DMR north region. In that region from 2019 to 2024 we have seen a 21% increase in the possession of drugs for sale or supply. It is all very well to see the figure, but it means that in my community and the communities I represent people are subjected daily to the sight of open drug dealing. Nobody wants that on their doorstep and…

We have a lot to get through. The CSO statistics were worrying when it came to the increase in burglaries and many other crimes. Notwithstanding this, I believe the Irish public respect An Garda Síochána and have huge support for it. However, it is a force that is in crisis. I represent Templemore. There are huge issues across the board, primarily recruitment and retention, an area which is in tot…

I thank Deputy Healy-Rae. He made some good suggestions and they have to be taken on board, especially his point on partaking in any reviews. There has to be a question of balance, in particular of tenants' rights. We cannot overdo it and take away tenants' rights. They are entitled to have a right of tenure so they are not in precarious situations. The regulation of landlords has to be balanced. …

I welcome that the Minister is in the Chamber for this discussion. I welcome the comments made by the Minister of State about the modular developments. It is a positive, practical solution and something that should have happened a very long time ago. I ask the Minister to expedite that. At the moment, according to the Minister's comments 40 sq. m is the maximum size but I think sizes of 60 sq. m, …

I thank the Ministers for being in the Chamber and for taking this debate. This is a good report and I encourage or ask the Government to give it good consideration. Section 3 deals with recommendations on sustainable housing supply. I want to speak about recommendations 18 and 19, which are about money and finance, the State supplying finance, getting involved and providing essential finance, wh…

I thank Deputy Coppinger for bringing forward this motion and for campaigning inside and outside this Chamber, as well as all those people who have joined us today because it is such an important issue. In the last year, we have seen reports of domestic violence to the Garda rise by 8% across the State but by 11% in Galway. We have already seen women violently killed in 2025. My thoughts are with …

I welcome the victims, survivors and their families in the Gallery. I thank Deputy Coppinger and her group for bringing forward this motion and providing us with the opportunity to have this important discussion. In November last year, Focus Ireland published a report which found domestic violence is a significant factor in making mothers and their children homeless. I will, if I can, illustrate t…

With the agreement of the House, I will share time with the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne. A Chathaoirligh Gníomhach agus a Theachtaí, I thank you for the opportunity to have this important debate in Dáil Éireann today as we mark the third anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked, illegal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We are at a critical moment in terms of the trajectory of Russia’s war in …

That is the key. We are at levels now we have not been at for quite a long time. However, it will take a bit of time for that to have the cumulative impact we want. We will continue what we are doing through new social house builds and leasing and acquisitions. Combined, we will try get to approximately 12,000 units in 2025. This will help, particularly in the context of the housing first tenancie…

I want to raise the issue that is central to this problem, which is the bureaucracy of the three sectors: the HSE, the disability sector and housing. That is preventing initiatives from being taken and preventing staff from being employed. Kilkenny SOS provides a fantastic service. It is at the cutting edge of developments in this area. It has been left short €500,000 since 2013-14. It was given i…

I congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his elevation to his very important role. I look forward to working with him in the Dáil term ahead. I congratulate him and his family on a very prestigious honour. I welcome this opportunity to speak to the House on the importance of agrifood to the overall Irish economy. In a week in which the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe…

I welcome this motion on housing, particularly in light of what we learned yesterday about County Mayo being the biggest county for derelict properties. Some 14% of the country's derelict properties are in Mayo. It is also the second highest in terms of vacancy, at almost 11%. Yet so little is being done - it is important the Minister hears this - to assist local authority housing staff in turning…

B’fhéidir go raibh an méid a chuala muid ansin níos spéisiúla ná an méid atá le rá agam. Smaoiním siar fadó fadó, dhá mhí go leith ó shin, nuair a tháinig muid le chéile ar dtús báire tar éis an toghcháin. Bhí gliondar inár gcroíthe ag an am agus sceitimíní orthu siúd a bhí tofa den chéad uair. Bhí sceitimíní orm féin agus ar dhaoine eile a bhí san iomaíocht don phost mór, post an Cheann Comhairle…

-----as is normal and natural for any Dáil and that is our view. On the issue raised by Deputy Mac Lochlainn, I have been consistent throughout this Dáil and the last, in terms of accountability in this House. The Executive is accountable to the House. I do not believe Ministers are accountable for the behaviour or whatever issues pertain to any individual of the other House, in this House. I do …

First, like other speakers, I welcome this discussion so early on in the lifetime of this Government. It signals an intent by the Government to address the issue of mental health once and for all. The Minister of State was a strong advocate in the area of mental health in the previous Government and I have no doubt will be such in this Government. Her efforts ensured that it received strong recogn…

Congratulations to both Ministers on their appointments. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing this motion before the House. Having listened to this debate for the past hour and a half, the stories being recounted by many of my colleagues are the same as the stories in Cork North-Central. Parents must fight a continuing battle to get an assessment for their children and procure places for them. They then…

I thank Deputies for tabling the motion before us. I welcome the parents in the Public Gallery. I also welcome the contributions that have been made so eloquently by Members across the House. I thank those who have wished us well in our endeavours. I am delighted to have the role of Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion and to be working alongside the Minister …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle as ucht an cheist seo a phiocadh. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach do Ghaillimh agus do chórais áitiúla ar fud na tíre. Tá an scéim seo ann chun cosaint a thabhairt do thionóntaí atá i dteach agus é ar intinn ag an tiarna talún an teach a dhíol. I gcásanna mar sin, is féidir leis an tiarna talún dul chuig an chóras áitiúil agus an chéad rogha a thabhairt dó…