11. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the delivery of affordable and social housing in Cork city and county, including the expected number of units to be completed in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53206/25]
TDs / John Paul O'Shea
John Paul O'Shea
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1,111
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
16,549
words spoken in the chamber
Across 90 contributions. Plus 101 contributions from the chair, not counted
437
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
234
topics asked about
Across 20 departments
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
What they ask about
The subject headings the Oireachtas filed their questions under.
Who they ask
The departments their questions were addressed to.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 1,111 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 90 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 31 | 0 |
| March 2025 | 29 | 6 |
| April 2025 | 61 | 1 |
| May 2025 | 48 | 4 |
| June 2025 | 47 | 1 |
| July 2025 | 63 | 5 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 50 | 5 |
| October 2025 | 56 | 1 |
| November 2025 | 84 | 7 |
| December 2025 | 83 | 5 |
| January 2026 | 48 | 8 |
| February 2026 | 113 | 17 |
| March 2026 | 52 | 11 |
| April 2026 | 81 | 3 |
| May 2026 | 87 | 4 |
| June 2026 | 63 | 2 |
| July 2026 | 20 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 53 | 7 |
| October 2026 | 42 | 3 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 87 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Worked out by computer from the subject headings of each TD's questions, giving more weight to headings few TDs use. It shows shared subjects, not shared views.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Cork North-West 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
I ask for an update on delivery of affordable and social housing in Cork city and Cork county, including the expected number of units to be completed in 2025. Perhaps the Minister of State will make a statement on the matter.
It is good to see that those figures are quite high and strong, that Cork City Council has a target of 592 houses this year, and that Cork County Council has 683. This will bring in the bones of 1,200 new social houses into the system in Cork city and county for 2025.
I very much welcome that almost 2,100 units are in the pipeline between Cork city and county. It is important that both local authorities would strive…
Yes indeed there are many projects right across Cork North-West that are at an advanced stage of development. Fingers crossed that with the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Ministers of State, Deputies Cummins and O'Sullivan, we will see many more projects opened in the coming years.
I also want to mention the affordable housing targets that are set out as part of Cork City Council and Cork County Council plans in H…
In a minute, Deputy.
The Minister to respond without interruption, please.
The Deputy to respond.
Could the Deputy please have respect now?
I thank the Deputy.
I thank the Deputy.
I thank the Deputy.
We now move to contributions from Members. Sinn Féin has 15 minutes, which is being divided between a number of speakers. First up is Deputy Joanna Byrne.
The Deputies from the Labour Party are dividing their time.
The next group is the Social Democrats, who are sharing time. The first up is Deputy Gibney.
87. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans for phasing out the means test entirely for the carer’s allowance during the lifetime of this Government, as per the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51028/25]
This question relates to an issue that goes to the very heart of compassion, dignity and fairness in our society, namely the support we provide for family carers. Across Cork North-West and, indeed, every parish in Ireland there are countless people who quietly dedicate their lives to caring for a loved one, whether that is a child with additional needs, an elderly parent or a partner who requires daily support. Will…
I welcome the Minister's response and thank him for outlining the plans to phase out the means test for carer’s allowance over the lifetime of the Government. Furthermore, I acknowledge the implementation of increased disregards for the carer’s allowance in recent months. This has assisted many carers to get an increased allowance or, indeed, to qualify for one for the very first time. The phasing out of the means te…
I thank the Minister for his commitment today on this very important issue. Budget 2026 will be the start of the process of ending the means test for carers. I very much welcome that. I hope we can work towards that goal over the lifetime of this Government.
The Minister mentioned how there would be an extreme cost to the taxpayer with increased costs to the health system if carers did not exist. The contribution of…
We have made considerable strides in improving the public transport network in rural county Cork through the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan. We have seen successful roll-out of bus services from Mallow to Fermoy, Charleville to Mallow, Mallow to Mitchelstown, Killarney to Macroom and the latest one, the 243 bus service from Newmarket to Cork. Today I am inquiring about the roll out of the Mallow to Killarney …
15. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will consider opening a passport printing office in Cork to assist with printing passports in a timely manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38241/25]
Will the Tánaiste consider opening a passport printing office in Cork to assist with printing passports in a timely manner? I ask him to make a statement on the matter.
As the Tánaiste said, there are two publicly accessible passport offices, one on the South Mall in Cork and one on Mount Street in Dublin, in addition to a passport printing facility in Balbriggan. Of these three buildings, only two print the passports, with one printing facility in Dublin city centre and two printing presses in Balbriggan. There is no such facility in Cork. Given that the number of annual first-time…
I thank the Tánaiste. I compliment the passport staff. The many passport service staff I have dealt with in my role as a TD for the Cork North-West constituency have been very helpful at all times. It is great to see that a new passport office in opening in Cork in the autumn and that there will be additional staff in that office. I know this matter has been brought up locally in my county, Cork, by local representat…
Before we move onto the next speaker, I welcome Michael Coyne and family to the Gallery. They are here at the behest of Deputy Heneghan. I hope they enjoy their afternoon in the Gallery.
The Independent and Parties Technical Group had nine minutes remaining. I propose that we use those minutes now because Deputy Connolly is here. Is that agreed? Agreed.