Questions

251. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if funding announced in Budget 2026 for second-hand acquisitions includes the tenant-in-situ scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56107/25]

252. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing assistance payment applications submitted in County Kildare from 2022 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56266/25]

253. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of landlords currently accepting housing assistance payment in County Kildare from 2022 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56267/25]

254. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on if the office of the planning regulator is holding back housing supply in certain local authorities; if so, to detail which local authorities; when, and the way in which, the office of the planning regulators is impacting their housing supply in this way. [56322/25]

255. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the abridged estimates volume for Budget 2026 for Vote 34 including the provisional sub head and programme level allocations. [56323/25]

256. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has undertaken any impact assessment, economic analysis, or consultation with stakeholders regarding the proposed prohibition of no-fault evictions for landlords with more than three tenancies, due to come into effect on 1 March 2026; the projected number of private landlords expected to exit the market as a result…

257. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the EU funding opportunities that will be open for application for schemes under his Department and at agencies under his aegis in the next six months and in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56453/25]

258. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 283 of 25 September 2025, in which he stated that the Housing Agency has confirmed to his Department that the presence of pyrrhotite is taken into consideration in their analysis, if he will confirm whether transitional applicants, those who applied under the original defective concret…

259. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications his Department received for the living alone allowance in 2024 and to date in 2025; the number of applications that were refused in each of the years in question; and the average processing times for these applications. [56075/25]

260. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to increase all income thresholds annually in line with increases in the cost-of-living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56100/25]

261. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to review the guidelines for carer's allowance (that is, needing partial care rather than full care); if his Department plans to undertake a review of the guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56106/25]

262. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which the client identity services area operates and processes applications relative to the Gender Recognition Act 2015; if the processing by the services includes face-to-face interviews; if the process is conducted entirely online or through a paper application process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56257/25]

263. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on a section 317 review of a person (details supplied); if it will be completed before his illness benefit is stopped in the coming weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56291/25]

264. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to carers who did not benefit from changes to income thresholds in Budget 2026; the actions he will take to support this cohort with the increased costs that they are facing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56296/25]

265. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider including verified disability-related expenses and private care costs as allowable deductions when assessing means for carer’s allowance; given the reality of many families not being able to access public healthcare supports due to significant delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56297/25]

266. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the phasing out of the carers allowance means test, as committed to in the Programme for Government; if there is a timeline for this commitment to be met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56298/25]

267. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection in relation to the income thresholds for carers allowance; if will he consider introducing a model similar to the Disability Tax Credit approach, where disability-related costs are acknowledged as reducing disposable income, thereby adjusting eligibility thresholds accordingly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56299/25]

268. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding any research or consideration given into the payment of a universal or partially universal carer support payment to replace or supplement the means-tested system, ensuring equity across income brackets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56300/25]

269. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the engagement that he has had with advocacy groups (details supplied) regarding the practical impact of the income disregard limits and proposed reforms, in relation to the income thresholds for carers allowance, the feedback he received, the way in which it is being incorporated into policy development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5…

270. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on the ESRI’s assessment that measures in Budget 2026 will reduce average household disposable income by about 2% next year, with proportionally higher losses for low-income households due to the withdrawal of once-off supports; the targeted measures he will take before January 2026 to mitigate projected increases in income poverty; and to pub…

271. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on an application for the fuel allowance by a person (details supplied), who is in receipt of a widow's pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56419/25]

272. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will clarify the policy whereby compensation awards received by individuals following serious accidents are taken into account in the means assessment for disability allowance and related supports; and if she will review this practice, given that such awards are intended to compensate for loss, injury, and future care needs rather than to const…

273. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on whether it is unfair and inappropriate for compensation awards arising from personal injury or trauma to be treated as means for the purpose of determining eligibility for disability-related benefits; and the steps being taken to ensure that such awards are disregarded in means testing where they are intended to improve the quality of li…

274. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will undertake a review of the current means testing arrangements for disability allowance to ensure that compensation or court awards arising from serious injury are not unfairly counted as income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56439/25]

275. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the EU funding opportunities that will be open for application for schemes under his Department and at agencies under his aegis in the next six months and in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56457/25]