338. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding that is available to Mayo County Council to refurbish and re-let vacant council houses; whether additional emergency funding will be provided to speed up turnaround times; and if he will act to ensure vacant properties are prioritised over long-term emergency accommodation. [35807/26]
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
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Showing questions asked by Paul Lawless .
199 questions match, newest first.
339. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how he justifies council-owned houses remaining vacant for extended periods while families and individuals are forced to stay in homeless shelters and emergency accommodation; and the measures being introduced to prevent prolonged vacancy of local authority housing stock. [35808/26]
340. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average length of time council houses remain vacant before being reallocated; whether targets exist for bringing such houses back into use; and if specific action will be taken regarding vacant properties in Swinford, given the increasing number of people struggling to secure permanent housing. [35809/26]
396. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will introduce targeted supports for practising thatchers, including grant schemes or heritage-craft stipends, to ensure the continued maintenance of Ireland’s thatched buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36467/26]
102. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new homes built in County Mayo in each of the past ten years; the number built by approved housing bodies; the number that were private homes; the number that were local authority homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35360/26]
732. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 717 of 28 April 2026, if his Department has assessed the cashflow impact on applicants arising from the requirement to complete all works and submit all receipts before any payment under the Croí Cónaithe grant is made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35059/26]
733. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 717 of 28 April 2026, if his Department has examined the feasibility of allowing drawdown of Croí Cónaithe grant funding on the basis of a completion certificate issued by a qualified local engineer, with receipts retained for potential audit, as proposed by Mayo County Council; and if he will …
734. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 717 of 28 April 2026, if his Department has consulted local authorities regarding administrative or operational challenges associated with the current Croí Cónaithe grant payment process, including the requirement for applicants to submit all receipts prior to payment; and if he will make a sta…
735. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 717 of 28 April 2026, if he intends to review the design of the Croí Cónaithe grant process in light of motions passed by local authorities, including Mayo County Council, requesting that applicants be permitted to draw down funds on the basis of a completion certificate issued by a qualified l…
717. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will amend the Croí Cónaithe grant process so that applicants may draw down funds on the basis of a completion certificate issued by a qualified local engineer, rather than being required to submit all receipts prior to payment, noting that applicants will still be required to retain all receipts for potential random audits t…
1618. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the policy or infrastructural improvements that have occurred since the introduction of the 2023 waiver that justify its expiration; and the details of any review undertaken to assess its impact on rural housing development. [26159/26]
1683. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of Government funding provided to environmental NGOs (details supplied) in each of the past ten years. [24508/26]
1687. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list of the NGOs that have received Government funding from his Department in the past five years. [24634/26]
1748. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the forthcoming planning framework for short term letting will apply in County Mayo, particularly in towns with populations below 10,000; and the discretion Mayo County Council will have in setting local policy. [25727/26]
1749. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the assessment his Department has made of the impact of short term rentals on long term housing availability in County Mayo, including in coastal and high tourism areas. [25728/26]
1750. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which local authorities such as Mayo County Council will be supported to enforce planning requirements relating to short term letting, including staffing, resources, and access to data from the national register. [25729/26]
1751. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the interaction between the new national short term letting register and existing planning enforcement powers will operate in practice in counties with dispersed rural populations such as Mayo. [25730/26]
1752. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he intends to issue specific guidance to local authorities on balancing tourism activity and housing supply in rural counties, including County Mayo, under the new short term letting regime. [25731/26]
1771. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason firefighters who continue to pass annual medical and fitness assessments are required to retire at 62 years-of-age rather than being allowed to continue working to 66 years in line with the State pension age; whether his Department has examined the feasibility of linking retirement to fitness and medical capability rath…
1772. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given current recruitment and retention challenges within fire services, whether any analysis has been undertaken by his Department of the cost, pension, and staffing implications of retaining experienced firefighters beyond the age of 62; and whether flexibility may be considered for firefighters who continue to meet required occ…
1773. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has been consulted regarding the replacement of firefighters due to retire in County Mayo in 2026; and the supports, approvals or funding mechanisms that are available to local authorities to ensure continuity of service where multiple experienced personnel retire within a short timeframe. [26024/26]
1774. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given that full-time and retained firefighters are required to undergo and pass annual occupational health and fitness assessments, the reason for the policy rationale for mandatory retirement at 62 years-of-age; the reason firefighters who continue to meet the required medical and fitness standards are not permitted to remain in …
1775. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he has considered or has proposals under way to increase the mandatory retirement age for full-time and retained firefighters from 62 to 66 years-of-age, in line with the State pension age; the engagement, if any, he has had with local authorities and representative bodies on this issue; and if he will make a statement on …
1776. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of full-time firefighters and retained (reserve) firefighters in County Mayo who are due to retire in 2026 and 2027, by station where possible; the projected impact this will have on fire service capacity and emergency response in the county; and the contingency or workforce-planning measures currently in place to addre…
1777. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the assessment that has been carried out by his Department or by Mayo County Council on the operational impact of the retirement of three experienced firefighters in Claremorris in 2026, with a combined service record in excess of 100 years; and the way in which institutional knowledge, mentoring capacity and operational readiness…