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694. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing delivery projects that have stalled due to interdepartmental inefficiencies, and the timeline for legislative reform to streamline approval and procurement processes. [23348/25]

696. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of all housing-related projects that exceeded their approved budgets by more than 15%, including the cause and financial consequences. [23350/25]

697. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of Department or agency-led projects that incurred costs exceeding €1 million but produced no housing output, and the reasons for such outcomes. [23352/25]

698. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of full-time staff within the Department and its agencies dedicated to housing delivery, and how many of these are directly involved in project management or construction oversight. [23353/25]

701. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he acknowledges that the current model of rent subsidies, market competition, public land disposal, and over-reliance on institutional developers has failed, and whether he will now support a shift toward State-led construction as the central driver of national housing recovery. [23356/25]

703. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the creation of the proposed housing activation office has been costed, and if so, if he will set out the projected costs for each of the first five years; including the number of individuals to be employed by the office and the list of skills or professional qualifications that will be required by those i…

707. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the proposal to remove planning requirements for log cabin type residential structures for back gardens; when will this come before the Houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23503/25]

709. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide the number of acquisitions made under social housing second hand acquisitions programme in 2024 and to date in 2025, by property size (one bedroom, two bedroom etc), by local authority, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23514/25]

737. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of sites that are zoned for planning specific to housing that are in Ireland from January 2025. [23691/25]

758. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing first tenancies that will be made available in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area in the next year. [23985/25]

759. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to offer guidance on how individuals can be referred for consideration for a housing first tenancy. [23986/25]

761. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is considering any policy measures to expand public land holdings in Irish cities and bring them in line with cities like Helsinki where 70% of land is in public ownership; his views on how such a policy might support housing delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23988/25]

765. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider instructing county councils to make more use of modular homes to tackle the housing crisis; if he will make any required funds available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24195/25]

770. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to introduce additional housing supports to single income households looking to purchase a home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24322/25]

775. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social housing projects approved under the single stage approval process in each year since that process was introduced; the number of units in each of these applications in each year; the total cost of these applications in each year, by local authority area, in tabular form. [24454/25]

782. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the allocations for local authority and housing adaptation grants for people with disabilities will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24500/25]

343. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of proposals from each of the local authorities and from the Land Development Agency for housing developments, either social or affordable homes, which are awaiting approval from his Department; the aggregate number of homes involved; and the average turnaround time for approvals. [22916/25]

348. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the proposals there are to increase the number of affordable housing schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23117/25]

242. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the appointment process for the position of the head of the Housing Activation Office. [22056/25]

248. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to expand and accelerate the construction of social and affordable housing in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22120/25]

255. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when social housing qualification thresholds will be reviewed, considering the current threshold in Tipperary is, €30,000 for a single person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22280/25]

256. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a person, who has obtained a debt relief notice which includes rent arrears, can be penalised by a local authority by putting a social housing transfer on hold pending payment of arrears on their rent account; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22298/25]

262. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm the funding to be made available to the Housing Activation Office; if media reports of a €1 billion fund over five years is correct; if so, if this funding will come from within the existing expenditure allocation; and if not, if it will be additional and require a further supplementary estimate for 2…

264. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the unit cost ceiling for housing has been updated since it was issued by his Department in 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22474/25]

266. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to review and reform the capital assistance scheme the improvement works in lieu of social housing scheme (H15 rule) for people with a disability; if so, when; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22510/25]

I had a look at petrol and diesel prices before I came into the Chamber. The Circle K on Belgard Road in Tallaght is charging €1.85 per litre for diesel and €1.84 per litre for petrol, even after the two rounds of VAT and excise cuts. A year ago, the average price for diesel was €1.76 and for petrol, it was €1.68. There is, therefore, still a big additional cost for ordinary people. In my constitu…

This Bill represents progress in a number of important areas. It reflects an effort to respond to the pressures on working people through a number of targeted tax measures, including an increase in the USC threshold; the extension of supports, such as rent tax credits and mortgage interest relief, alongside continued investment in our infrastructure and public services; measures backing innovation…

As I and others have said in this House, the measures were too little and too late. Nevertheless, we are extending them for another period of time. I would have preferred to have seen them extended to September because I cannot see the Strait of Hormuz crisis being sorted out by then, given the incumbent in the White House. The measures are welcome insofar as they are coming forward, but they shou…

With regard to the carbon tax, some speakers referred to no concrete measures being taken to reduce the long-term cost of energy for people. The deep retrofitting of houses is making sure that people who are in receipt of fuel allowance, who are more likely to be susceptible to fuel poverty, have lower energy costs in the longer term. In 2025, €469 million was spent on the retrofitting of homes. T…

No, not in this House. It was unparliamentary language to use in this House and it was directed personally towards a Member of this House.

It is obvious that this House, and indeed the people of Ireland, have significant concerns about Israeli actions in Palestine and the dire and worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. I reiterate that Israeli actions in Palestine consistently contravene international law and the Government continues to press for appropriate action at EU and international level in response to Israeli breaches of h…

I thank the Deputy for the question. As he said, this was discussed at Cabinet today. Approval was sought by me, and it was agreed by Cabinet that this would be presented for Second Stage. This will happen in the coming weeks. While there is no date set, I intend that this will be presented to the Dáil in coming weeks and published in the near future. The purpose of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2…

In terms of what will be in the proposed legislation, we will have an opportunity to discuss and debate in this House on Committee Stage, as we should do, anything of significance. This is significant because it will allow us to continue a practice we have had in place for many decades. The absolute priority here is to make sure that any future deployments for operations are put forward and that t…

I propose to take Questions Nos.132 and 133 together. I am pleased to discuss this issue and to expand on some of the areas that we have elaborated on. This key legislation is a priority for me and this Government but it is important that we have an opportunity in the House not just here during Parliamentary Questions but through the legislative process to debate certain elements of this Bill. The…

A practical example is the wastewater treatment plant in respect of which 26 weeks have been saved due to the removal of the external assurance process and reviews, as well as changes to the thresholds that I introduced in reforms to the infrastructure guidelines. The latter was an additional step that added time. Under the wider assessment carried out last year, we had to measure the time it had …

I am aware of the devastating impact flooding had on homeowners, businesses and the communities of Midleton and across east Cork during Storm Babet. While the issue raised is a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, my office in October 2025 corresponded directly with the Willowbank residents' association secretary, following contact between my office and Cork County C…

I thank the Minister of State for his response and acknowledge his impact and that he met the residents of Midleton. He was in Midleton and I acknowledge that and thank him for that. I understand he is familiar with the situation in Willowbank because they have been in touch with his office. The Willowbank housing estate was affected by flooding following Storm Babet in October 2023. Several house…

I am going to commit to meeting the group in June. I am happy to engage further with the Deputy on this matter after that. This is an interesting area in respect of which extra funding is 100% required but where monitoring the impact of that funding on the systems in place also matters. For example, we are increasing respite funding by €25 million this year. We are also increasing funding for home…

I thank Deputy Dempsey for raising this issue, as I know she has on a number of occasions. On foot of her raising this, I will speak with the Minister, Deputy James Browne. I think there is a broad issue in relation to this. I have spoken to the Minister on this and he shares that view. We need to look at better accountability structures for Uisce Éireann to elected Members of this House. It is no…

I thank the Minister of State for being with us and for her presentation. I welcome the progression of the Bill, though many of the items in it could and should have been implemented a long time ago, had Government not voted down many of the same proposals when they were made by Sinn Féin. This includes bringing RTÉ under the aegis of the Comptroller and Auditor General. Sinn Féin also proposed a …

I welcome the Minister of State and am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this important Second Stage debate on the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2026. This is significant and necessary legislation that seeks to modernise Ireland’s broadcasting and public service media framework for a digital age that has changed fundamentally since the Broadcasting Act 2009 was first enacted. This Bill…

I thank the Deputy very much. I acknowledge the incredible work he does on rare diseases campaigning. The issue the Before We Die group campaigns on is another incredibly important one. The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, had hoped to be here but unfortunately she was not able to be. She acknowledges the great work the Deputy is doing and his raising of this important issue. The Minister, Depu…

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 Ruth Coppinger - To discuss the loss of a mainstream teacher in a DEIS plus primary school in Dublin 17. Deputy Jen Cummins - To discuss supports for children and students with dyslexia. Deputy Joe Cooney - To discuss the need to p…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on preparation for any type of future impact on our State. The one we had recently was obviously the ongoing fuel crisis related to Trump's illogical and downright dumb actions in the Strait of Hormuz and the way the United States and Israel are attacking the Iranian regime. It is an admittedly corrupt and murderous regime but that is not how you topple dictators…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I have made inquiries. The issue he raised did happen. It is unacceptable from my perspective, particularly given the enormity of the issue for the individual householder concerned, that she should have received two emails with completely opposite positions on the one day. My understanding is that the chair of the board accepts that an error was made and …

I am happy to support this extension insofar as it is contributing to enabling and supporting street life in cities, towns and villages. It will allow people to socialise and interact on the streets. People will be able to enjoy the lovely weather we are having at the moment and make the very best of it. Generally, it brings vibrancy and energy to our cities, towns and villages. This is a good mo…

I welcome the continued support for outdoor seating and dining, which has proven to be one of the most practical and successful measures for our hospitality sector in recent years. This is not just about tables and chairs on a footpath. It is about breathing life back into our towns and village across Ireland, particularly in rural and coastal communities. Outdoor dining has created a vibrant atmo…

I move: That Standing Order 194 is modified in accordance with Standing Order 241(2) to provide that it be an instruction to the Committee in relation to the Gas Safety (Amendment) Bill 2026, that the Committee has power to make amendments to the Bill which are outside the scope of the existing subject matter of the Bill in order to amend the Turf Development Act 1998, in order to increase the st…

On 13 May, the Irish Independent reported that DLR Properties Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, but which, incredibly, councillors have no control over and no say in whatsoever, put up for sale on the private market land in Cherrywood, which is zoned for more than 1,000 units of housing. It is shocking that the State - the only political representation on it…

----- energetic responses from Deputy Boyd Barrett. He is engaged anyway. He is on every word I am saying, which is important, too. I am not being facetious about the matter, but I presume and hope that is the case and I will engage with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to make sure that it will go for housing and that the 1,000 houses will be built because we need those 1,000 houses as well.…