Questions

464. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he met with the Chinese foreign minister during his visit there for St. Patrick's Day events. [13870/25]

465. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given that in 2015, the then-Minister committed that the Department would continue to liaise with the Department of Health regarding the potential health impacts of wind turbines, when the most recent dialogue took place; the outcomes; if no such dialogue has occurred, why not; and if he will make a statement on the matter. […

466. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can confirm if operating wind farms pose a health risk, given that all three published revisions of the 2006 wind energy development guidelines state that wind turbine noise must align with World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, while existing wind farms generally operate at noise limits at least six decibels higher…

467. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the growing number of older people living in homes with defective concrete blocks who would like to transfer their eligibility to avail of the defective concrete block grant scheme on to their family; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13993/25]

468. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the percentage of social media video accessible, such as providing the information or activities posted on each of his Department’s social media accounts, or the social media accounts of public bodies and agencies that operate under its remit, including closed captioning and subtitling and Irish Sign Language translations, between 1…

469. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in light of the ongoing delay in his Department's approvals for affordable housing projects funded via SHIP, CAS, CALF, CREL and AHF, if he believes it important to deliver affordable housing units at the proposed development at Ashewood Glen, Ashbourne, County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14082/25]

470. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new build homes to include both apartments and houses, both private and social housing, constructed in 2022, 2023 & 2024, in Greystones, Delgany, Kilcoole, Newcastle, Newtownmountkennedy & Roundwood; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14094/25]

471. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to examine the case of persons (details supplied) facing homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14120/25]

472. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant housing officers, per local authority, in terms of full-time equivalent posts, in tabular form; the expenditure per local authority on addressing housing vacancy in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14142/25]

473. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of households in receipt of HAP, by local authority, broken down by household dwelling type and type of HAP payment (including discretionary HAP payment), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14143/25]

474. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to clarify the current status of the tenant-in-situ scheme; if the scheme is still in operation; the funding allocated to the scheme in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; the number of housing units purchased via the scheme in 2023 and 2024, by local authority, in tabular form; if he will provide the guidelines issued to local a…

475. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how buy and renew social homes are reported by his Department, as acquisitions or as new builds; the number of buy and renew social homes delivered in each year from 2020 to 2024; and the average cost to the Exchequer each year from the delivery of these homes. [14166/25]

476. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social housing tenant in situ purchases concluded in 2024, with a breakdown by local authority area, providing an average purchase cost for the total number of such acquisitions and an average for the acquisitions in each local authority area. [14176/25]

477. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide the extent of commercial rates arrears carried by each local authority, for each of the past five years; the local authorities carrying arrears outside of that five year period; the extent of commercial rates arrears written off by each local authority, each year for the past five years, in tabular form. [14210/25]

478. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the establishment of the new town and cities infrastructure investment fund, specifically a timeline for the launch of this fund as a replacement for the urban regeneration and development fund. [14214/25]

479. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the housing target completions for County Wicklow, by year, from 2025 to 2030; and the targets and actual completions, by year, from 2020 to 2024. [14216/25]

480. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is engaging with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth regarding employment opportunities for individuals in receipt of a disability payment; to confirm the nature of this engagement with potential employers; to provide statistical data on the number of individuals in receipt of a disability payment who are curren…

481. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider changing the situation where a person in receipt of the old age pension (contributory) and caring full-time for their spouse would get the full rate carer’s allowance instead of only half rate (currently the situation) due to the fact that they are receiving the contributory pension payment; the estimated cost of same; and if he will …

482. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is satisfied that providers under the Hot School Meals Programme are not required to provide his Department with details of their preparation methods for meals provided under the programme; his views on whether the Food Safety Authority of Ireland guidelines and regulations (details supplied) are robust enough to ensure that all meals provided to…

483. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps he will take to address the amount of food waste and single-use disposable plastic packaging under the Hot School Meals programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13319/25]

484. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for carer’s allowance in the name of a person (details supplied) will be expedited and approved; if the correspondence from his Department to this Deputy will be reviewed given the person has not received any notification from his Department in recent times; and if an oral hearing will be arranged immediately given the original app…

485. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection when the bereavement grant to help defray funeral costs was discontinued; if there are plans to introduce a similar grant support in the coming period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13390/25]

486. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will report on his visit to Atlanta and Savannah in the United States of America for St. Patrick's Day; the meetings he attended, the issues that were discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13399/25]

487. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of active rent supplement claims at the end of 2024, and the total expenditure by her Department on rent supplement in 2024. [13422/25]

488. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to bring forward proposals for a baby loss certificate, similar to the UK, for mothers and parents who lose a baby due to a miscarriage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13448/25]