Questions

363. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether legislation will be progressed indexing income limits for social housing eligibility to either inflation, the minimum wage, the median wage, average industrial wage, or lower quartile wage to reflect the decline in purchasing power over time of incomes that were previously considered to be too high for a person to b…

364. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that there are income gaps in the available housing schemes operated by his Department and by local authorities whereby a person’s income may be too high for social housing eligibility and at the same time too low for any available cost rental options or to take advantage of schemes for first-time buyers; and…

365. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider abolishing the income limits for social housing eligibility and fund a universally accessible social housing system through a scheme of differential rents. [26729/25]

366. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of children living in emergency accommodation for twenty-six months or more; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26732/25]

367. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of Children living in emergency accommodation for thirty-six months or more; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26733/25]

368. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to his Department’s announcement regarding available funding for the tenant-in-situ scheme, if an applicant (details supplied) has had their application refused despite meeting all the criteria of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26745/25]

369. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a ministerial order to allow the cutting of turf at a bog (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26901/25]

370. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant local authority houses in each local authority area in each of the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26997/25]

371. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if framework-based procurement is included in his Department’s reporting of “tendered” procurement in its annual accounts; if so, to distinguish between contracts awarded via framework mini-competition, contracts awarded via direct drawdown from a framework without competition and frameworks run independently by his Department vers…

372. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list of all framework agreements used by his Department or its agencies since 2022, by name and description of framework; if it was established by his Department, the OGP, or another central/sectoral body; if it is a single-supplier or multi-supplier framework; if drawdowns required mini-competitions; and the total num…

373. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if all drawdowns from frameworks by his Department or its agencies from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2024 valued over €25,000 were accompanied by publication of a contract award notice on the eTenders portal as required by Circular 05/2023; and if not, to list any known contracts where such publication did not occur and the reason…

374. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration will be given to adding inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, to the list of conditions eligible for medical priority with regards social housing lists in local authorities across the country given that it is a lifelong illness with no known cure; and if he will make a stateme…

375. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding the forthcoming Short-Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill 2025, if he will consider providing for phased implementation, over a period of two years, of any requirements under the Bill that oblige existing tourism-focused short-term letting operators to obtain additional planning permission or effect a change of use …

376. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his progress to date on the programme for Government 2025 commitment on the re-establishment of borough and town councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27091/25]

377. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to the recently published National Planning Framework which allocates national renewable energy targets to regions using a geospatial, grid-led and even growth approach, if he will confirm the specific setback distance from sensitive receptors was applied in the analysis for wind energy; if he will clarify wh…

378. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to the recently published National Planning Framework which allocates national renewable energy targets to regions using a geospatial, grid-led and even growth approach, if he will provide a copy of the allocation analysis and the modelling iterations carried out, including the turbine specifications used suc…

379. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details put forward by the Government to the EU Infringement Proceedings in the pleading stage regarding a case (details supplied) given that only the demonstration project has been completed and that the rest of the scheme is not a priority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27112/25]

380. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding allocated to Roscommon County Council for its fire service in 2023 and 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [27160/25]

381. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to a statement by an international election observation NGO (details supplied) that encountered difficulties observing the last general election calling for greater clarification of the rights of election observers; if he has any plans to address these concerns; the proposed timescale involved; and if…

382. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of instances where the Air Corps or other air or helicopter service contracted by the State has had to assist in dealing with gorse fires during 2023 and 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27225/25]

383. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are any proposed changes to the vacant and derelict refurbishment grant scheme which would allow for the circumstances (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27386/25]

384. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the Corncrake LIFE Project; his plans to renew the project for a further five-year term given the vital role the project has played in improving the conservation status of the corncrake in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27484/25]

385. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when funding will be released for a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27487/25]

386. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to review and consolidate the four stage approval process for the Social Housing Investment Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27488/25]

387. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the work, scope and membership of the housing activation industry group within the Strategic Housing Activation Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27490/25]