Questions

401. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the national policy or policies which allow local authorities to deliver social, affordable and private housing tenures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18113/26]

402. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will examine the case for providing capital assistance scheme funding, or an alternative capital mechanism, to support the redevelopment of a disability housing property (details supplied); and whether flexibility can be applied in CAS policy for older properties whose original liens have long expired. [18114/26]

403. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the retrospective defective concrete blocks scheme; the timeline for full sign off, assurances that once signed off, funding will be made available without delay; to ensure commitment that the team are resourced and ready to process payments the moment approval is in place; and if he will make a statement on the matte…

404. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the overall cost of the payment and availabilities agreements with AHBs in each of the past five years; and the number of homes these have covered respectively, in tabular form. [18152/26]

405. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the overall average cost of a payment and availability agreement with AHBs over the 30-year contract. [18154/26]

406. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm whether the Department operates any formal or published criteria for the designation of city status; if not, to outline the objective benchmarks used in advising Government on such matters; and if he will publish the basis upon which existing cities were designated. [18202/26]

407. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current population of each designated city in the State at the time of its most recent legislative confirmation; to specify the population threshold, if any, that would trigger consideration of city status for another urban area. [18203/26]

408. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to clarify whether the Government has considered the designation of Dundalk as a city in the context of its strategic role within the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor; and whether any cross-departmental discussions have taken place on this matter. [18204/26]

409. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Department has examined the establishment of a Dundalk metropolitan district with enhanced urban governance powers; the legislative steps that would be required; and to confirm whether this has been considered as a precursor to city designation. [18205/26]

410. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a comparative analysis of Dundalk and the five designated cities in terms of population size, economic output, higher education provision and regional strategic role; and to indicate in which areas Dundalk falls short of city designation criteria, if any such criteria exist. [18206/26]

411. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Government has any intention within the lifetime of the current National Planning Framework to designate additional cities; and if not, to state the policy rationale for maintaining the current structure. [18207/26]

412. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline whether a boundary review of Dundalk has been considered in light of sustained population growth; to state the mechanism by which such a review could be initiated; and whether the Minister will commit to examining this matter. [18208/26]

413. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 854 of 17 February 2026, the legal basis upon which home tutors engaged under the home tuition grant scheme are “classed as self-employed (PRSI Class S)” as a general position (details supplied); whether he will identify the employer in law for PRSI purposes in such cases; whether any administrative agreement or…

414. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review correspondence (details supplied); if he will provide an update on the person’s application; the timeframe for a payment to issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17985/26]

415. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 760 of 10 February 2026, if any internal briefing notes, guidance documents, policy papers, emails, memoranda or tracking systems exist within his Department concerning the enforcement, monitoring or recovery of retrospective PRSI liabilities arising from Scope decisions (details supplied); whether any records e…

416. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that jobseeker's allowance is means-tested for couples who are cohabiting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18059/26]

417. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has considered options to maintain insurability for PhD scholarship holders, such as PRSI credits, so that eligibility for jobseeker's allowance can be sought after State-supported doctoral study; the outcome of any such analysis; the timeframe for a decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18060/26]

418. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the conditions for mutual recognition of pension contributions between Ireland and Canada; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18077/26]

419. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department plans to engage staff from the private sector who work in accountancy and corporate law firms to work in his Department during the course of the upcoming EU Presidency term; the terms under which such staff will be engaged; the number of staff his Department plans to hire; the measures planned to guard against potential conflicts of inter…

420. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a contributory pension (details supplied) is being reduced due to early teaching years of 1974-1978/1979 is being treated differently from all subsequent years of teaching contributions therefore creating a gap in the contribution record. [18158/26]

421. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection the average timeframe in 2025 for the finalisation of a Section 318 review under the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005. [18227/26]

422. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of gardaí assigned to road policing in Cork from 2014 to date in 2026, by local station, in tabular form; [17902/26]

423. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if it is common practice to refuse to issue statements of reckonable residency by post when requested by the passport office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17903/26]

424. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason a request by a person (details supplied) for a statement of reckonable residency was sent by email on multiple occasions rather than posted as requested given that this was a demand from the Passport Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17905/26]

425. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of staff currently employed by Fiosrú, the Police Ombudsman; the percentage of those staff who previously served as members of An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17909/26]