I thank the Deputy. The Minister for housing has an ongoing review of that particular grant. It is my understanding that it has yet to come before Government. He will be able to respond to any particular queries after he has concluded a review, or if any changes are to be made at that point.
TDs / Jack Chambers
Jack Chambers
Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
0
questions asked
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them
152,394
words spoken in the chamber
146,472 as a minister, 5,922 as a TD
358
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
Members of the Government answer parliamentary questions rather than ask them, so this page lists none of theirs.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Contributions to debates 720 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
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| Month | Contributions |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 57 |
| March 2025 | 2 |
| April 2025 | 36 |
| May 2025 | 52 |
| June 2025 | 2 |
| July 2025 | 90 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 0 |
| October 2025 | 11 |
| November 2025 | 109 |
| December 2025 | 69 |
| January 2026 | 1 |
| February 2026 | 44 |
| March 2026 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 37 |
| May 2026 | 44 |
| June 2026 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 60 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 80 |
| October 2026 | 25 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 658 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Dublin West 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform 23 January 2025 to 4 June 2025
- office Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation 5 June 2025 to now
I thank the Deputy. All schemes are constantly under review. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, who oversees the hot school meals programme can take into account any feedback the Deputy has relating to procurement. He can also take into account feedback on the nutritional value of the hot school meals programme. I will ask him to provide a more specific answer to the Deputy's query.
I thank the Deputy. I am familiar with the Complex and its important role for many in the arts community. Obviously, the specific capital needs in terms of any acquisition will be a matter for the Minister for arts. I will reflect on what the Deputy said and I am happy to engage with my colleagues on that matter. Obviously, if there has been immediate notice given, I do not know the facts on how quickly that is movin…
I recognise the role of the Complex for many in the arts community. I will engage with colleagues on it again. That particular notice has been advanced and I understand the urgency of the issue but I will engage with the Department of arts and culture on it and revert.
The Deputy has not referenced the housing plan, which is to sufficiently ramp up the provision of social and affordable homes to ensure we ramp up overall housing supply. The Deputy is misrepresenting the facts on this.
It was something produced by SpunOut. It is not something-----
The Government's policy on housing is what we have set out in our housing plan. The series of actions the Minister, Deputy Browne, has taken to ensure that young people can build a future and set up roots here, and the many interventions we have made in terms of the viability of housing and the increased provision in our national development plan for social and affordable homes, are all about ensuring we increase aff…
I appreciate the Deputy raising that issue. I do not have an up-to-date position on the matter, but I will ask the relevant Department Minister to respond to the Deputy.
I move the following Excess Vote:
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Statement of Excess)
That a sum not exceeding €9,680 be granted to make good an excess on the grant for State Laboratory for the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2024.
I move the following Supplementary Estimates:
Vote 7 — Office of the Minister for Finance (Supplementary Estimate).
That a supplementary sum not exceeding €1,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2025, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Finance, including the Paymaster General’s Office, for certain se…
I move:
That Dáil Éireann approves the following Scheme in draft:
Credit Institutions (Financial Support) (Revocation) Scheme 2025,
a copy of which was laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 2nd December, 2025.
I move:
That Dáil Éireann approves the following Scheme in draft:
Credit Institutions (Eligible Liabilities Guarantee) (Revocation) Scheme 2025,
a copy of which was laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 2nd December, 2025.
I want to start by welcoming Deputy Boyd Barrett back to the House. It is wonderful to see you back healthy and well. You spoke with enormous candour and bravery publicly, which has helped many people who are experiencing cancer in their own lives or their families’ lives. I acknowledge that. It is great to have you back. You are certainly back in action, and I look forward to our engagement later on today.
On the l…
-----about managing demographics and the risks and concerns around global trade.
That is why this Government has done that in budget 2026.
We have not taken the popular measures which Sinn Féin presents every week on additional temporary measures that are not sustainable in overall economics.
I am being very honest with people when it comes to the need to have a broad-based system of taxation to manage the economy. The Deputy is being dishonest when it comes to his approach to managing the economy. Sinn Fein’s alternative budget would have increased net expenditure by up to 14%. That is a reckless approach. It would undermine the foundations of our economy and it would cause serious risk into the long ter…
I will not take lectures from Deputy Cullinane or anyone from Sinn Féin when it comes to economic management. Their party leader has said in recent years that demographics will look after themselves. Has she read any report? Have any of their finance spokespeople read any report on the wider long-term trends for our economy?
Sinn Féin's approach to everything is providing for a massive increase in expenditure, abolishing and narrowing different areas of taxation, and imposing greater taxation on jobs and enterprise in our economy. It would undermine all opportunities for growth.
That is why our approach in budget 2026 is progressive, fair, sustainable and targeted for those most in need.
The report from the Department of Finance is not a projection. It looks at over 2,000 scenarios on a no-change policy basis. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, was very clear yesterday that we are changing policy on an ongoing basis when it comes to infrastructure and housing, and we have more to do. We have a new housing plan being published in the coming weeks. We will have significant infrastructure reforms being publi…
That is a measure which enables infrastructure and growth to be developed to build more homes across our economy. I ask Deputy Bacik to look at her own party. One of her own councillors is involved in judicial review proceedings against the new apartment guidelines, which will deliver more apartments and more units in our economy.
We need to complement the State investment in housing with a market that is viable and can work. The Labour Party has attacked builders and developers in relation to the VAT cut. That is all about having viability in the market. If we are serious about delivering housing and more apartments, we must have a viable market to deliver more homes. Many families and workers across our economy want to see the delivery of mo…
We are absolutely fronting up to our responsibilities. I welcome any constructive suggestions on policy but a lot of the policy that is coming from the Opposition is just for more spending. The State has fronted up to that question when it comes to the national development plan - over €100 billion of spending in the next five years. The strategic focus is on infrastructure, housing, water infrastructure and energy in…
We would have less housing supply. That has been Labour's approach. Its councillor is involved in a judicial review-----
-----on apartment guidelines. The Labour Party needs to be responsible as a party in stopping such a proposal.