Questions

1029. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will confirm whether the properties in an area sampled by the Housing Agency meet the criteria for inclusion in the defective concrete blocks grant scheme; if he will outline the next steps for affected homeowners (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58428/25]

1107. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if homeowners who have already undertaken remediation works due to confirmed pyrite damage will be eligible to retrospectively claim support under the defective concrete blocks scheme, once their local authority is included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59367/25]

562. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if additional funding will be allocated to Uisce Éireann to meet the increased demand for water and wastewater connections arising from the Government's housing target of 50,000 homes per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54597/25]

563. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reforms that are being considered to streamline planning and consenting processes for critical water infrastructure projects, such as the Greater Dublin Drainage Project, which are essential to enabling housing delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54598/25]

564. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has engaged with Uisce Éireann regarding reports of substantial delays in commissioning utility connections for completed housing units; the measures that are being taken to improve coordination between developers and utility providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54599/25]

565. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has undertaken a review of utility infrastructure deficits in rural towns and villages; the way in which these deficits are currently limiting the delivery of rural housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54600/25]

566. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the recourse that is available to an applicant to compel connection in cases where a residential property remains unconnected for a period exceeding two years following payment to Uisce Éireann; whether any enforcement, appeals, or redress mechanism exist under current legislation or regulatory frameworks; and if he will make a sta…

31. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social homes retrofitted by Fingal County Council since 2021; the number targeted for 2025; if Fingal County Council is on track to meet its share of the national retrofitting target; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53463/25]

47. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority homes retrofitted to a B2 BER standard to date under the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme; the projected number for 2025; and the progress made towards the national target of 36,500 local authority retrofits by 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53462/25]

551. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department have completed the work needed to allow the apartment and duplex defects remediation scheme be reviewed for pre-legislative scrutiny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51298/25]

1295. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department provides or plans to provide dedicated funding streams for the purchase and preservation of historic buildings of national or regional significance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47138/25]

1296. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has funding available for the preservation of small sites of local historical or cultural significance for example historic wells, monuments or community heritage features; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47139/25]

1297. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement his Department has with local authorities regarding identifying and protecting historic buildings and small heritage sites in their areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47140/25]

1298. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if additional resources will be made available to support voluntary or community groups involved in the conservation of historic and archaeological sites of local significance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47141/25]

1403. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total spend by his Department on external legal services in each of the past three years; the main areas of legal activity for which external advice was sought; if she will provide a breakdown by case or category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40839/25]

1406. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount spent on legal fees associated with litigation, advice and settlements in each of the past three years by his Department and agencies under its aegis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40883/25]

1464. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if all external legal fees incurred by his Department, and by any bodies under its aegis, are charged at negotiated discounted rates; how fees are monitored for compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41507/25]

1465. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department conducts regular benchmarking, or market testing, to ensure that the rates paid for legal services, solicitors and barristers, represent value for money for the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41525/25]

1466. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to detail the procurement processes used when engaging external legal firms and barristers, including whether panels are used; how often these are refreshed; the criteria used for selection and performance review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41543/25]

1467. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has conducted any audits or reviews in the past five years on legal fee spend; if so, to publish the findings or summaries of those reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41561/25]

1468. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the internal oversight that exists within his Department to monitor the scope, duration, and cost escalation of legal services once engaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41579/25]

1469. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department makes use of capped fee arrangements, fixed-fee briefs, success-based fee models or other such arrangements in its legal engagements; if not, the reason such options are not considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41597/25]

1470. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any legal engagements have exceeded their initial estimated or approved cost in the past three years; if so, the number of such cases and the total overrun; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41615/25]

1508. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage her Department’s plan on actively promoting the inclusion of women and minorities into political roles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42040/25]

1530. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress his Department has made to reform planning conditions for childcare facilities to open in areas of need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42163/25]