Parliamentary questions

412. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the initiatives being taken to support affordable housing in County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5291/26]

413. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the initiatives being taken to support affordable housing in County Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5292/26]

414. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social and affordable homes delivered in Kilkenny in 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5293/26]

415. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social and affordable homes delivered in County Carlow in 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5294/26]

416. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant properties in Kilkenny County Council stock at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5295/26]

417. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant properties in Carlow County Council housing stock at the moment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5296/26]

418. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current uptake of the first home scheme in County Kilkenny; the steps being taken to increase awareness and access; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5297/26]

419. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current uptake of the first home scheme in County Carlow; the steps being taken to increase awareness and access; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5299/26]

420. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on a new fire station for Kilkenny city; the timeline for when it will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5300/26]

421. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on Croí Cónaithe schemes broken down per county, by application numbers, application volume, drawdown numbers and drawdown volume, on a year on year basis since its inception, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5301/26]

422. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when income eligibility limits for local authority housing in Carlow and Kilkenny will be increased; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5302/26]

423. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the proposals and associated targets to deliver age-friendly housing in counties Carlow and Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5303/26]

424. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current status of the drafting of the regulations and statutory instruments required to implement the Government’s revised rent control and rental sector reforms due to commence on 1 March 2026; the number of such instruments required; the stage each has reached within his Department; the remaining steps nece…

425. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has conducted, commissioned, or relied upon any economic, rental supply, or market impact analysis in advance of implementing the revised rent control framework scheduled to commence on 1 March 2026; if so, the nature of that analysis, the bodies involved, whether the findings will be publi…

426. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason a pensioner (details supplied) has not received essential repair works to their home; if he will prioritise these emergency works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5336/26]

149. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the eligibility criteria for the vacant property refurbishment grant, in light of concerns that limiting eligibility to individuals, is impeding town-centre housing delivery; his views on whether the exclusion of companies, developers and other delivery bodies is preventing the refurbishment of…

150. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being taken to support households who are above the income threshold for social housing but remain unable to afford secure housing in the private market; if he will confirm whether a review of income thresholds is underway; if he will detail plans to expand cost-rental and affordable purchase scheme…

151. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the rationale for the application of social housing income thresholds which result in applicants being removed from local authority housing waiting lists when they exceed the threshold by a marginal amount; whether he will review these thresholds, particularly in cases involving persons with disabilities who hav…

152. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he is aware of cases where individuals have been deemed ineligible for social housing supports despite being unable to access the Housing Assistance Payment, due to a lack of suitable rental accommodation; the measures in place to address such situations; if he will consider introducing flexibility or di…

153. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if it is a matter for local authorities to apply for funding for constructed wetlands or will Uisce Eireann announce which smaller towns, population centres and villages will get their wastewater treatment issues resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4564/26]

154. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he or any of his officials have used artificial intelligence to write speeches, produce social media content for his Department, or to issue responses to parliamentary questions, since he took office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4597/26]

155. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has a paid subscription with a social media company (details supplied). [4615/26]

156. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason the rates per square metre under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme have not been reviewed since the introduction of the enhanced scheme in 2023, despite significant construction cost inflation; if he will commit to an immediate review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4664/26]

157. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports currently available to first-time buyers purchasing second-hand homes; if there are any plans to introduce additional supports for this cohort; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4665/26]

158. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being taken by the Department to mitigate the anticipated issues arising from the new rent reforms for families renting properties owned by people on the fair deal scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4726/26]