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275. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will issue guidance to local authorities on the processing times for medical priority applications for social housing, which are currently taking upwards of 12 months in some local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22752/25]

255. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department plans to review or increase the income limits for social housing in the Louth and Meath local authority areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21820/25]

257. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a person (details supplied), who has submitted an appeal to the housing agency regarding the amount she was awarded under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, will still be eligible for the 10% grant increase if she withdraws her appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21860/25]

259. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the progress of the mixed affordable purchase, cost rental and social housing scheme at Fairlane, Dungarvan, County Waterford, including current status, projected timelines and breakdown of tenures proposed. [21917/25]

264. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of extant housing assistance payment tenancies at the end of each of the past ten years in Waterford, by local electoral area. [21922/25]

265. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total expenditure on housing assistance payment tenancies in Waterford in each of the past ten years, by local electoral area. [21923/25]

267. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of social housing transfer applications on file at Waterford City and County Council as of the most recent date available, by local electoral area, and by the length of time the transfer request has been active (i.e. under one year, one to three years, three to five years, and over five y…

49. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance the list of all houses and gardens that are available to the public for viewing as a condition of their exemption from capital acquisitions tax; the list of all property other than houses or gardens that are available to the public for viewing as a condition of their exemption from capital acquisitions tax, in tabular form; and if he will ma…

90. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding allocation given to Wicklow County Council for re-letting works of social housing stock from the years from the years 2020 to 2025 inclusive, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21316/25]

97. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Housing Agency plans to increase the thresholds in terms of the value of homes that can be considered for inclusion in the mortgage-to-rent scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21703/25]

106. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the engagement she has had with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and his Department with regard to the housing adaptation grants for persons with a disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20435/25]

282. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if the new climate action plan will include a commitment to provide additional supports for the retrofitting of approved housing body social housing. [19878/25]

550. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 64 of 19 February 2025, to clarify whether it was intended that Part 22A (Residential Zoned Land Tax) Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 would impose Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) on a developer who is proceeding with developing his site for an approved housing body, where the developer is required by the ap…

629. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform for an update on the delivery of the Conservation Management Plan for Doneraile House and Court, Doneraile, County Cork and in particular the construction of an orangery at the house which would greatly enhance the historical authenticity and visitor experience at Doneraile; and if…

1140. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the planned social and affordable housing developments throughout Dublin Bay north; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21266/25]

1142. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the immediate measures being implemented to address the critical shortage of rental properties available under the housing assistance payment scheme, given that only 41 such properties were available nationwide in March 2025, representing just 4% of all rental listings; and if he will make a statement on the …

1144. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his reasoning for introducing new restrictions on the tenant in-situ-scheme; if he will remove the need to be in receipt of the housing assistance payment or rental accommodation scheme for two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18515/25]

1146. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will release the necessary funding to local authorities in Donegal and other affected counties to remediate their housing stock that are the homes of hundreds of families affected by defective concrete blocks. [18529/25]

1148. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the forms of proof of ownership, apart from the deeds of a house, that are acceptable for accessing the derelict home grant scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18535/25]

1149. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will consider continuing to advance new methods of construction, in particular modular home builds, as a means to meet national housing targets. [18537/25]

1151. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the duties he intends to delegate to the Strategic Housing Activation Office within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18554/25]

1154. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider extending the temporary waiver in respect of local authority development contributions, given that it would greatly support annual housing targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18626/25]

1158. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to consider setting up a roving workforce to assist local authorities bring vacant housing stock back into use; if he will consider a local authority (details supplied) as a pilot for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18668/25]

1171. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he expects to publish the new rural housing guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18859/25]

1177. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason South Dublin County Council or an AHB purchased an entire apartment development in Rathfarnham for social housing and failed to allow any to go on the market for either affordable-rent or affordable-purchase or for private purchase by either first-time buyers or those within the locality who might hav…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to introduce the Dublin Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill 2026 for the consideration of the House. As Deputies will be aware, the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008, as originally enacted, provided for the establishment of the Dublin Transport Authority, DTA, and set out its role and functions to ensure the provision of an integr…

The Government has failed consistently in the delivery of transport infrastructure. Projects experience delays, costs mount and progress occurs at a snail’s pace. I am proud to have been representing the people of Limerick in this House for over a decade. It has been the honour of my life. I tend to travel to Dublin by public transport, most regularly by train. Upon arriving in Dublin, I mostly us…

I thank all the Members for their contributions. It is incumbent on all of us that we would encourage people to use public transport. Based on the debate tonight, some of the suggestions and solutions from the contributions are ways in which we can enhance our public transport offering but also attract more people to partake in public transport. I found the debate interesting and invigorating. A b…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this important motion on the cost of disability. It is important that the Minister is here to hear what the Opposition has to say about it. The Labour Party has continually raised the ongoing cost-of-living crisis that is affecting many households across Ireland and having a particularly profound impact on those with disabilities and their families who are de…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion on the cost of disability. It is something that has been raised on a consistent basis since I entered this Dáil Chamber over 18 months ago and it has been brought to my attention on a number of occasions in that time by many people, including parents, those living with disabilities themselves, schools and grandparents who have come into the consti…

I commend Sinn Féin on this motion. This issue goes to the heart of whether we are serious about disability rights or content to keep repeating the language of disability rights while leaving disabled people to absorb costs that are neither optional, marginal nor of their own making. The cost of disability means higher expenses associated with transport, equipment, therapies, healthcare, communic…

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 Barry Ward - To discuss allowing for the inclusion of parental details on children's passports in cases where they do not share the same surname to allow for easier international travel. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss discrepanc…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 35, 36, 44, 55 and 83. As was the case with my previous answer, there are quite a number of different things happening and I want to set things out clearly. From a European perspective and context, I will take the House back to last year. Prior to me coming into this Department and at a time when there was continuing escalating violence in Gaza and there was no…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am very pleased to introduce the Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill 2026. This Bill upholds a fundamental principle that those convicted of the most serious crimes should not retain automatic legal authority over the children left behind. This Bill delivers on the programme for Government commitment to "examine proposals to remove guardia…

I am happy that Sinn Féin is supporting this Bill on its way through the Houses. I also want to remember Valerie. I have an older brother, and I am sure that Valerie's three sisters are very proud of the fact that their big brother has led on this. I am sure that it means a lot to Valerie, wherever she is, and to her children as well knowing that they have an uncle who went out to bat for them lik…

The Deputy rightly raised the issues and the range of measures being taken by the Government to address vacancy and dereliction, which are a huge success. Vacancy levels are declining. An historical level of funding has been made available and this significant investment, through schemes such as the urban regeneration development fund and the vacant property refurbishment grant, is having a seriou…

-----we are trying to keep peacekeeping troops on the ground for. The practical reality is that the veto power exercised or indeed threatened by permanent members of the Security Council can and does prevent action, including in circumstances where there is broad international support. For Ireland, this can create and in fact does create real and immediate consequences. In the absence of a UN mand…

All I see from the Opposition, Sinn Féin in particular, is empty rhetoric, no solutions and the usual sloganeering. That will not build houses. I have a document here with all the objections of those parties' representatives. They objected to housing project after housing project.

Today we got news that we all knew was coming. The Government's new rent rules have already driven rents to a record high. They are rising at the highest rate in a quarter of a century. Year on year, rents are up 7% in Dublin, 13% in Cork and a whopping 18% in Galway. We told the Taoiseach this would happen and these measures would undermine renters and he said it was "a ridiculous assertion". Now…

Fianna Fáil has not abandoned ordinary people. The highest number of social houses built on record was built last year - 9,000 new social houses. That is the way to deal with the housing crisis which has led to the rent increases.

Sinn Féin will not oppose this legislation progressing to the next Stage. We support the orderly winding down of NAMA and the completion of the IBRC process, but we have serious concerns about accountability, governance and the extraordinary salaries that will be paid, which are utterly out of kilter with public sector norms. Sinn Féin will bring forward amendments on Committee Stage to address th…

My colleague Deputy Toole cannot make it to the Chamber as she is stuck in traffic. She asked me to convey her hope that some of the extra funds that become available as a result of the wind-down of NAMA will be ring-fenced for projects in her constituency. She hopes the Navan rail project, for which a preferred route was announced today, is one of the projects for which the funding now arising ou…

I move: That Standing Order 194 is modified in accordance with Standing Order 241(2) to provide that it be an instruction to the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach in relation to the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025, that the Committee has power to make amendments to the Bill which are outside the scope of …

I too direct my plaudits at Deputy Ardagh. This is very much her initiative and something that was well supported along the way by the Irish Cancer Society and other Deputies and Senators across these Houses. It is one of those evenings when we can all say a job has been well done. It shows the utility of this House as well. We try to do it all of the time but it is more explicit on occasions like…

I thank all Deputies who contributed to the debate this evening. I acknowledge patients, survivors and families for whom cancer has impacted their lives. There is not a family in this country that have not been impacted by cancer, my own included. I think of my two siblings who I lost to cancer many years ago. Perhaps that was one of the driving forces that meant I wanted to do something positive …

No, I am sorry; the Deputy cannot have it both ways. We need to have a settled landscape out to the next decade or so in terms of the investment side of the equation to get more in. The bottom line is 36,000 homes were delivered last year, which is the highest since records began and up 20% on 2024. A total of 38,000 new dwellings were completed in the 12 months ending quarter 1 of 2026, which is …

I appreciate the point the Deputy is making and I have a lot of empathy with what he is saying. They were last revised about three years ago, maybe a bit longer, and I think the threshold for qualification for social housing went up about €5,000. I know the Minister for housing is reviewing this. I have spoken to the Minister about this. There are quite a number of working people who are on income…

The fossil-fuel crisis is a time when we need to have a catalyst to move more towards renewables. I am regularly contacted by households that would really love to move to renewables and deeply retrofit their homes, but, unfortunately, they just cannot afford to do so. Even though they are able to apply for grants and all those things, which are very welcome, there is a shortfall in the grants by c…

I appreciate time being allocated to statements on National Biodiversity Week. I sincerely thank its organisers, the Irish Environmental Network, for putting on so many incredible events the length and breadth of the country. It really puts biodiversity at the forefront and gives it a platform, which is something we do not do often enough. Considering the crisis we are in, we need to do more of it…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute during national biodiversity week and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, who I appreciate had to step out, for his continued commitment to biodiversity projects, nature restoration and engagement with rural communities. I say this to acknowledge a visit he made with me to Cloughjordan in my constituency last November. This visit involved a num…