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363. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether legislation will be progressed indexing income limits for social housing eligibility to either inflation, the minimum wage, the median wage, average industrial wage, or lower quartile wage to reflect the decline in purchasing power over time of incomes that were previously considered to be too hi…

370. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant local authority houses in each local authority area in each of the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26997/25]

374. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration will be given to adding inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, to the list of conditions eligible for medical priority with regards social housing lists in local authorities across the country given that it is a lifelong illness with no known cure; and if he…

386. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to review and consolidate the four stage approval process for the Social Housing Investment Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27488/25]

395. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to explain the rationale for recent comments he made in a newspaper (details supplied) regarding international investors; to provide any analysis his Department has conducted or used on the amount of any such investment in housing by international investors that Ireland is believed to be losing out on; the countr…

403. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a stipulation existed whereby a house which qualified for the vacant property refurbishment grant, that was instead offered to a Ukrainian family fleeing war under the “offer a home scheme”, would still qualify for the vacant property refurbishment scheme when vacated by the Ukrainian family; and if he w…

404. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he would consider discounting the working family payment when assessing income for inclusion on the social housing list or alternatively include income from the working family payment as part of the local authority loan assessment process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27700/25]

254. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to detail all recourse, including legal recourse, available to individuals who have been removed from local authority housing waiting lists (details supplied). [26392/25]

263. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing units purchased through the tenant-in-situ scheme in each local authority in 2023 and 2024; the total expenditure incurred by each local authority through the tenant-in-situ scheme in 2023 and 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26508/25]

267. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the implementation status of the 14 recommendations made in the 2019 report by the Oireachtas Committee on Housing regarding child and family homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26542/25]

268. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how his Department assesses the impact of housing policies on children, specifically regarding the use of a children’s rights framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26543/25]

74. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being implemented to improve access to cost rental housing for single applicants in Dublin, given current eligibility criteria and affordability assessments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26077/25]

75. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications received, granted, refused, or are currently being processed for the social housing tenant-in-situ scheme in County Kerry, since it was reintroduced in 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26164/25]

77. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the roadmap to implement minimum BER standards for private rented dwellings as promised in Housing for All, will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26230/25]

78. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm when objective 2.14 (Implement Minimum BER standards) was last included as an item in the quarterly updates for Housing for All; the reason it has not been included in recent updates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26231/25]

81. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he is taking to strike a fair balance between investment in housing and ensuring first-time buyers are not pushed out of the market; if he is aware of reports that some new developments (details supplied), are being marketed overseas to large investors; if he plans to introduce any further measures to…

213. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department has engaged with approved housing bodies (AHBs) and local authorities regarding initiatives to support solar panel installation on AHB and local authority housing. [25300/25]

221. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department has engaged with approved housing bodies (AHBs) and local authorities regarding initiatives to support solar panel installation on AHB and local authority housing. [25299/25]

526. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to re-introduce the local development levy waiver on new houses, as was offered to home builders up to December 2024, considering the increasing building costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25092/25]

527. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the number of housing units currently delayed due to An Bord Pleanála's failure to issue timely decisions on planning applications; if he will outline the specific actions being taken to address these delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25117/25]

529. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider emergency legislative or administrative measures to fast-track housing applications that are stalled due to the planning backlog at An Bord Pleanála; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25119/25]

531. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will examine whether the continued delays in planning decisions are affecting the viability of housing projects and contributing to cost inflation in the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25122/25]

532. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he accepts that the failure to reform key institutions such as An Bord Pleanála has become a structural barrier to housing delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25123/25]

537. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the available supports for a property in need of repair before its owner can offer its use to a local authority for social housing, but which has not been vacant for at least 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25175/25]

557. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a breakdown of local authority housing developments nationwide that have been identified with significant construction defects; the measures being taken to remediate these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25723/25]

I appreciate that we have had these discussions on a number of occasions. I look forward to debating this as the legislation comes through the Houses. It is important that we have these discussions, and that we have a debate as to what exactly is in the Bill, what is not in the Bill and what the intention of it is. I appreciate that there are very strongly held views on this matter, so I appreciat…

Let me say "Yes" and "Yes" to two very clear questions. Let me acknowledge the Deputy's own advocacy, leadership and involvement in this issue for a long number of years and that of other Deputies from the area, including the Ministers, Deputies Byrne and McEntee, Deputy Butterly and many people across the political divide trying to desperately get a hearing for people who were being ignored, obst…

There is certainly an urgency across this House. I do not say this to be provocative on an issue where I hope we can all work together, but nobody on any side of the House has brought forward legislation to try to make progress. We have had multiple Private Members’ measures, but let us all work on this together. It is not a question of nobody being urgent, and I am going to push back very firmly …

That simple structure in Ireland of four provinces offered and offers a very simple federal system that could be taken going forward, and then we would decide where central government is organised from. It would clearly have to have a Belfast dimension as well as a Dublin dimension. I do not think one-upmanship in the House assists this because we all have ideas and they are all valid. I do not t…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this debate on the financial implications of Irish unity. It is fair to say that it is an important discussion and one that deserves to be approached with seriousness, honesty and respect. Having listened to the majority of the debate, I do not think I heard one voice in favour of partition even though there may be differences of opinion about how we achi…

I move: “That the Bill be now read a Second Time.” We in the Labour Party passionately believe that we need to have a serious overhaul of how waste is collected and regulated across every county in this country. In that context, I am very proud to see our Labour Party Bill proceed to Second Stage in the Dáil today. The Bill is the Waste Management (Single Household Waste Collection Service) Bill …

I thank Deputy Sherlock for drafting and bringing forward this legislation. The Green Party has long pushed for household waste collection to be brought back under public control. This proposal is a good example of how we might do this without maybe opting for full remunicipalisation and the risks that could entail in respect of the burden it could place on local authorities. Waste collection nee…

The Social Democrats will be opposing this motion and the amendment. The motion is not simply an administrative change, but a decision to reduce the accommodation recognition payment from €600 to €400 per month. I believe that is the wrong decision, not because this scheme should exist forever, but because reducing the payment now will make an already difficult situation significantly worse for pe…

I am sure the Taoiseach will join me in welcoming Christy Hussey and Conor Burke to the Public Gallery. Since this morning, a 15-year-old child has been sitting in protest outside the gates of Leinster House. Cara Darmody is highlighting the fact that the State breaking its own law. I refer to the law which states children's needs must be assessed within six months. The law has been broken for 20 …

I commend the Minister on bringing forward this stand-alone legislation. It is important that he continue his work reforming the various aspects of legislation that need to be examined and updated in the context of what society faces today. I have no doubt that this Bill will assist partners to know about the records of those who have committed serious domestic and sexual abuse and so on. It is t…

The town centre first, TCF, policy, published in February 2022, is a joint initiative between my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The policy sets out a framework to facilitate and resource the regeneration of Irish towns to ensure they are vibrant, viable and attractive places to live in, work in, invest in and visit. Important progress includes the establis…

A part of that question focuses on the development in the Gaeltacht areas. Obviously, the Gaeltacht is the well of the Irish language. The Gaeltacht is currently at such a level where it is at the edge of continuance. This could be the last generation with the Irish language as a community language within the Gaeltacht. One of the big elements of the Gaeltacht has obviously been the ability to rai…

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing work on this. It is not back-of-the-envelope stuff. His inputs and those of Deputy Ó Snodaigh are always considered. As he knows, the primary responsibility lies with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The draft statement is, in my view, one that strengthens the planning system’s support for the Irish language and Gaeltacht areas, making it…

I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to update the House on the position of the James Weir nurses home on Cork Street in Dublin 8. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. The Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the public healthcare property estate. The HSE has a significant property portfolio extending to circa 4,3…

I call on the Minister for housing and local government to intervene in a most urgent matter in County Kerry where subcontractors to Uisce Éireann are being left to wait for two, three or four months without being paid for work that has been carried out. This is not acceptable. These delayed payments mean subcontractors are unable to pay wages or for diesel due to cash flow problems. This is happe…

I am sure the Minister of State will be struck that while often in these Houses when we have debates there is disagreement, this is an issue about which there is cross-party agreement and even unity. It has had an impact on every family and every community. The Minister of State is personally deeply committed to working in this area. Having these kinds of debates or discussions shows there is a lo…

First, I thank Deputy Quaide for his dedication and really hard work on this issue. Our motion today can be boiled down to one simple principle: disabled people have the same rights as everyone else. They have the right to a home, the right to decide where they live, the right to remain part of their community and the right to relationships, privacy, autonomy and dignity. These are not optional se…

Respite and residential services for persons with intellectual disabilities are in crisis. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides the right to live independently in the community with choices equal to others. They must have access to a range of in-home, residential and other community services, including personal assistance. In Ireland these rights are ho…

I have campaigned for years for extra dementia unit beds and nursing home beds on the northside of Cork, especially in Heather House. Some 19 dementia beds have been built in Heather House. They were announced in 2022 and built and finished last November. I have campaigned to get them open. I was told in May that they would be open in June. They were supposed to be open in June but were not. I hav…

It does not just train people to remove landmines. That was the propaganda put out at the time but if the Minister of State read into the detail, he would know that is not what it stated. He will be able to go and check it later. The Government attempted - it appears the armoured vehicles were too rusty and perhaps would have presented a threat to the poor Ukrainian conscripts - to offload armoure…

I thank Deputy Carthy for his support for this legislation. I also note the other issues he raised in relation to wider criminal justice and Garda issues. However, I will go back to discussing Deputy Kelly's amendment, tabled by Deputy Sheehan. The amendment made in the Seanad to section 43C(2) is to allow, where necessary and appropriate, An Garda Síochána, in the context of international co-oper…

I move amendment No. 1 to Seanad recommendation No. 2: To delete from the row dated "1 September 2026" down to and including the row dated "1 May 2030" and substitute the following: " " If we needed a reminder of just how volatile, fragile and utterly unpredictable the situation in the Gulf remains, we were handed that stark reminder today with the news that Donald Trump has declared the cease…

It is deeply disappointing that the Minister has rushed through this legislation. I have been working in the area of homelessness for over a decade as an academic and researcher, but also campaigning with people directly in homelessness and working with homeless organisations. The homeless providers have never once asked for this legislation. It was never put forward as a solution to homelessness.…

Sinn Féin policy is a complete and utter failure. It is a dishonest policy position when it comes to improving housing supply. It is populist waffle. In Dublin Central, Sinn Féin opposes housing project after housing project, day in, day out, which young people could be living in. That is the issue.

I renew my appeal in relation to the urgent need to increase the income eligibility limits for social housing in counties Cavan and Monaghan. The social housing income baseline is €30,000 in both counties. This is totally inadequate in view of the costs today for people buying or building a home. Daily I am dealing with constituents who are working hard in relatively low-paid jobs and they are abo…