Questions

384. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider extending the vacant homes grant to facilitate applications through small companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52662/26]

1048. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if shops that are registered charity shops are liable for rates by local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42058/26]

1050. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will issue a directive to local authorities directing them to exempt commercial rates for registered charity shops, in light of a High Court decision relating to the matter in October 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42092/26]

151. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether S.I. No. 166/2007 - Local Government (Business Improvement Districts Ratepayer Plebiscite) Regulations 2007 remains in force and applicable within the areas that were previously under the jurisdiction of those bodies; and if the Regulations continue to apply, if he will outline the body of elected members that now holds d…

584. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if local authorities under the housing adaptation grant approve and fund modular bathroom pods where they are deemed the most appropriate method to meet the applicant’s needs, and in a timely manner, given they already pay for stairlifts which are modular and temporary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16395/26]

406. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the grant scheme for private wells at domestic dwellings to allow for houses where Uisce Éireann have acknowledged an inability to ensure a reliable water supply and service to the house due to its location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16225/26]

398. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the grant supports to sink wells are eligible for houses that have been built prior to 2007, and have been connected to Uisce Eireann/Group Water Scheme up to now, but the house is experiencing significant and ongoing water outages because of its location/elevated site or poor water pressure due to its position at the end of t…

806. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if it is necessary for local authorities to require evidence of income from the previous 12 months for example, 2025, when assessing housing adaptation grants, and so on, for people who are self-assessed earners, where their notice of assessment is usually not issued by the Revenue Commissioners until later in the calendar year; …

658. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has considered the difficulty for single full-time workers in securing housing (details supplied); if a review will be carried out on the social housing eligibility bands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6284/26]

1353. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 121 of 5 November 2025, to clarify whether his reply, in which he stated that he “asked that a review be undertaken of all existing Memoranda of Understanding,” means that all existing MoUs between the NPWS and 28 external organisations will be subject to the specific review he requested; an…

342. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider introducing a flexible controlled burning scheme for upland areas, allowing farmers to apply for permission to burn heather outside the current statutory window, in order to reduce fire risk and protect biodiversity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67703/25]

547. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider an exemption from the registration and planning requirements under the Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2025 for agritourism operators and owners of protected structures such as thatched cottages, in recognition of their role in rural economic development and heritage preservation; and if he will make a sta…

548. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the proposed national register of short-term lets, to be implemented by Fáilte Ireland, will accommodate the unique circumstances of agritourism providers and heritage property owners in rural Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62727/25]

121. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline the rationale for the decision to review the Memorandum of Understanding between his Department and an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60208/25]

122. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if representatives of an organisation (details supplied) will be formally consulted as part of the review of the existing Memorandum of Understanding with his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60209/25]

123. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the announced review of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between an organisation (details supplied) and his Department will delay the implementation of agreed actions under the MoU, including the establishment of the countryside forum on nature and if he will provide a revised timeline for delivery [60210/25]

219. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide the number of ecologists, ornithologists, hydrologists, hydrogeologists and environmental scientists, respectively, employed as inspectors at An Bord Pleanála at the beginning of 2025. [54339/25]

220. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide the number of ecologists, ornithologists, hydrologists, hydrogeologists and environmental scientists, respectively, employed in any capacity at An Bord Pleanála at the beginning of 2025. [54340/25]

221. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide the number of ecologists, ornithologists, hydrologists, hydrogeologists and environmental scientists, respectively, engaged on a panel of consultants at An Bord Pleanála at the beginning of 2025. [54341/25]

222. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of occasions on which the services of a specialist consultant in ecology, ornithology, hydrology, hydrogeology, or environmental science, respectively, were engaged by An Bord Pleanála in 2024. [54342/25]

223. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide the number of ecologists, ornithologists, hydrologists, hydrogeologists and environmental scientists, respectively, employed as inspectors at An Bord Pleanála at the beginning of 2024. [54343/25]

224. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide the number of ecologists, ornithologists, hydrologists, hydrogeologists and environmental scientists, respectively, employed in any capacity at An Bord Pleanála at the beginning of 2024. [54344/25]

1155. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will allocate the necessary funding for the restoration of the weir and development of a fish pass in Fermoy, County Cork, considering that the project is vital to maintain adequate water levels upstream in the Blackwater River (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45211/25]

1415. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the immediate measures he is taking to protect thatched properties and to ensure that they can obtain sufficient insurance to ensure their survival as an important element of our national heritage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40983/25]

1734. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the ceiling caps for the first homes schemes for Tipperary, as it is having a reverse impact in comparison to neighbouring counties with a higher threshold. [44394/25]