Parliamentary questions

639. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason a preschool (details supplied) operating under the ECCE scheme has received a commercial rates bill; whether this is now the standard for all ECCE preschools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5885/26]

640. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 217 of 26 November 2025, the reasons the proposal referenced in that reply to fund affordable supported housing was not approved; whether alternative funding options are being considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5944/26]

641. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how and when homeowners in receipt of a grant award under the defective concrete block grant scheme can avail of the increased grant award levels as set out in the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Act 2025. [5945/26]

642. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the length of time it took to complete the four-stage and single-stage approval process for all Traveller-specific accommodation projects completed in 2023 and 2024, by halting site bays and group housing schemes, and by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5951/26]

643. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a report of expenditure on Traveller accommodation, per county and accommodation type for 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5952/26]

644. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update regarding Traveller accommodation from the quarterly pipeline report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5953/26]

645. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a house constructed in 2009 and not completed or lived in would be considered eligible for the vacant property grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6026/26]

646. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to concerns related to the new rental legislation that is coming into effect on 1 March 2026 in relation homes that are rented out to support the care of the owner in a nursing home (details supplied); the actions he will take to ensure that this matter is addressed prior to the reg…

647. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions he is taking to address cases of low quality rented property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6031/26]

648. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding any initiative he is proposing that seeks to encourage the uptake in retrofitting projects by landlords to ensure that rented properties meet a high level BER rating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6032/26]

649. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding any engagement he is having with the Residential Tenancies Board in relation to addressing situations whereby landlords are renting properties with very low BER ratings and as a result are cold and damp; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6033/26]

650. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Act 2025 will be commenced so that the affected homeowners can avail of the changes to the original legislation. [6048/26]

651. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of dedicated staff currently employed within the Housing Agency to carry out assessments of letters of recommendation submitted by local authorities in relation to defective concrete blocks; if this staffing level is considered sufficient to meet the demand for timely assessments; and if he will mak…

652. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average time between an application received and a grant issued for the vacant property refurbishment grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6140/26]

653. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications for the vacant property refurbishment grants received, broken down by local authority, by month, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6141/26]

654. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total cost to date of the redress scheme for defective houses in County Donegal and surrounding counties; the total estimated cost of these schemes; whether the schemes are likely to exceed their budget; and the estimated amount of any such overruns. [6148/26]

655. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of people currently on local authority housing waiting lists; the breakdown of those on these lists who are Irish citizens, UK nationals, EEA nationals, or nationals of other countries. [6153/26]

656. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to ensure adequate funding is provided to Dublin City Council in order to allow it to continue operate its financial contribution scheme which is vital in allowing older people to downsize to DCC older person’s accommodation, while also increasing council housing stock; and if he will make a statement on the …

657. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of rezoning requests received by each local authority, in tabular form; the proposed date of adoption by each local authority under the guidelines of the first revision of the national planning framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6273/26]

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]

659. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the expected completion date for the updated wind turbine regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6307/26]

660. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current number of stock audits completed on local authority social housing; if there is a fund to address issues identified in these audits; and if so, the overall sum allocated to this fund in 2026 and ongoing. [6324/26]

661. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the overall spend on social housing retrofit; and the number of units this applied to in each of the past five years respectively, in tabular form. [6325/26]

662. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the overall Government funding allocated to the Ballymun Regeneration, Moyross Regeneration and NWQR in Cork respectively, in tabular form. [6326/26]

663. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding allocated under the voids return programme in 2026; and the number of units this will return, to use, by local authority in tabular form. [6327/26]