I thank Deputy Brennan. I addressed the URDF, CPO and the derelict sites register in my opening remarks. The other strand is obviously the vacant property refurbishment grant, which has been a hugely successful scheme. Towards the end of Q1 of 2025, more than 12,400 applications have been received under the scheme, with more than 8,600 approvals and 2,000 grants paid out to date, giving the owners of properties up to…
TDs / John Cummins
John Cummins
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
5
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
74,724
words spoken in the chamber
74,684 as a minister, 40 as a TD
361
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
3
topics asked about
Across 2 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 5 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 264 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 5 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 0 | 4 |
| March 2025 | 0 | 6 |
| April 2025 | 0 | 5 |
| May 2025 | 0 | 18 |
| June 2025 | 0 | 25 |
| July 2025 | 0 | 13 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 0 | 2 |
| October 2025 | 0 | 34 |
| November 2025 | 0 | 19 |
| December 2025 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2026 | 0 | 18 |
| February 2026 | 0 | 19 |
| March 2026 | 0 | 21 |
| April 2026 | 0 | 11 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 31 |
| June 2026 | 0 | 8 |
| July 2026 | 0 | 19 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 0 | 6 |
| October 2026 | 0 | 4 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 162 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Not enough questions on record to compare.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Waterford 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage 29 January 2025 to now
I welcome the opportunity to come before the House to discuss and seek approval for the final draft revised national planning framework, which was approved by Government on 8 April 2025. As already outlined by my colleague the Minister, the approval process for the finalisation of the revised national planning framework plays a key role in delivering on our broader objectives across Government and will allow the sign…
I thank Deputy O'Connor for raising this important issue, as I know he has done on many occasions in this Chamber. It gives me the opportunity to update Members on the development of solar farms on agricultural lands in Cork and across the country.
I highlight first that the recently published Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland's Future reaffirms Ireland's ambitious target of having 8 GW of solar capaci…
As I said in my opening statement, and as I know the Deputy knows, there are no regulations currently in place but on foot of the programme for Government we are in the process of developing those. It is important to say that they will involve a public consultation element which people will be able to feed into. It is also important to mention that the planning system as a whole is subject to significant reform at th…
I want to stress that enabling students with additional educational needs to receive an appropriate education is an absolute priority for this Government. I taught in the education system and taught students with additional needs, so I understand the issue. It is the Government's priority to ensure that all children have an appropriate school placement and that the necessary supports are provided to our schools to al…
I thank both Deputies for their advocacy in this area. As I stated in my opening remarks, I do understand it. I taught in the education system myself. I have met children who are similar to the children in the examples given by the Deputies.
It is important to also put in context that the Department will spend €2.9 billion this year on special education, one quarter of the entire education budget - rightly so, becau…
I apologise as I have a cold, but I will try to get through the reply. I thank Deputy Shane Moynihan for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport today. As the Deputy rightly points out, in 2022, the Department of Transport, in conjunction with the National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland sought to investigate the provision of pilot schemes to as…
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and I will take his points back to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. It is important to say the Government is committed to further increasing the number of safe crossing locations for pedestrians and vulnerable road users. We need to provide additional options that are not reliant on those connections because of the capacity constraints and the construction time and ongoing opera…
I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which I’m answering on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond. I am fully committed, as is the Department, to strengthening the bonds with all Irish communities overseas. Central to this work is the emigrant support programme, managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Since its inception in 2004, the programme has provided funding of over €…
I thank the Deputy for his advocacy in this area. Any time we get a chance to talk about the diaspora in this Chamber is welcome. We can see the value of sustained investment in our communities abroad. I had the opportunity to visit Thailand and the Philippines where I saw at first hand how our diaspora engages in its local communities and the value it adds in those countries, as well as bringing our sporting, cultur…
I join the Minister in thanking the Housing Commission for its work. I commend each member of the commission on their efforts by any objective measure. The commission's report is an impressive piece of work and is having the intended impact on informing the policy debate and providing innovative ideas and solutions to the challenges we collectively face in the housing space.
The Minister, Deputy Browne, has set out …
As this is my first contribution in the House, I ask for its indulgence for a moment as I thank my wife, my family, my friends, my supporters and the Fine Gael members who have assisted me in recent years and, in particular, during November's election campaign. Most importantly, I wish to place on record my thanks to the people of Waterford, who have placed their trust in me, and to the Tánaiste for appointing me as …
I again thank Deputy McAuliffe for raising this important issue. I assure him that, from the information I have been provided with, a dialogue is occurring in order to try to find a satisfactory resolution. As he is aware, this is a very important development for the area. It is being delivered under Housing for All. We are committed to ensuring that it will be delivered in good time and in full compliance with the b…
I thank everybody for their contributions. I reassert the Government's commitment to tackling the challenges we collectively face in the housing sector. As a 37-year-old, I am acutely aware of the impact these challenges have on my generation and those younger than me. I have taken note of some of the suggestions and points made by Deputies and I will touch on a couple of them. Standardised templates were referenced.…