Parliamentary questions

323. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the type of training provided to staff within his Department in the use of, or understanding of artificial intelligence; if a programme is planned for all staff on their obligations under the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67466/25]

324. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his Department's current projections on potential slowing of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation; Ireland's preparedness for any potential impacts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67473/25]

325. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to schemes such as the town and village renewal grant, if local authorities may use, or support applicants to use, such schemes to bring vacant or derelict residential units or voids back into productive use;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67513/25]

326. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline all current funding streams, capital supports, and operational supports made available by his Department to local authorities for the purpose of returning vacant or derelict local authority homes to use voids, including approvals, drawdown mechanisms, turnaround targets, and auditing arrangements; and…

327. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department maintains any form of benchmarking, comparative performance assessment, league table, or KPI-based ranking of local authorities in respect of their management of vacant/void social housing units, including turnaround times, cost per unit, and annual throughput; and if such information exists, i…

328. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority dwellings classified as void, by each local authority in each of the past five years; the number returned to use annually; the average cost of remediation per dwelling; the mean and median turnaround time; the value of Departmental funding drawn down for this purpose; and if he will…

329. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has examined the feasibility of aligning private-sector vacant property grants with local authority programmes for returning voids to use; and if not, if such alignment will now be considered. [67517/25]

330. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has carried out any analysis comparing the cost, speed, and long-term maintenance outcomes of returning void social housing units to use versus alternative interventions such as acquisition, leasing, or new build; and if he will publish any such analysis to inform future policy choices. [67518/…

331. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the National Planning Statement for planning for rural housing will be published (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67543/25]

332. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update and timeline for publication of the updated wind energy guidelines. [67544/25]

333. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the proposed new fire station in Dunleer, County Louth, in view of funding being redirected towards the firefighter centre of training in Dundalk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67648/25]

334. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason there is no financial support for a household wishing to avail of mains water in a town instead of using their own private supply; if this is a more climate friendly and efficient way to help people get their own water; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67650/25]

335. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to consult with Met Éireann to resolve internal conflicts around responsibility to alert the public to potential flood risks and to set up an effective, efficient and clear, publicly available flood forecasting system to allow people in high risk flood zones to take steps to protect their properties and families …

336. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the equalisation fund for each local authority is calculated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67683/25]

337. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason for reduction in equalisation funding for Galway County Council for 2026 given the council’s difficult financial position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67684/25]

338. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the equalisation funding for the years 2024, 2025 and 2026 for each local authority, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67685/25]

339. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason Galway County Council consistently receives a lower allocation of equalisation funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67686/25]

340. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the LPT baseline assigned to Galway County Council; the way this baseline is determined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67687/25]

341. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is difficulty or delays accessing documents dated prior to 2006 held by Tailte Éireann due to asbestos contamination in a building storing them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67691/25]

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]

343. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the staffing levels and legal expertise available in disability access offices within local authorities; if additional resources will be allocated to ensure timely responses and compliance with accessibility obligations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67724/25]

344. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will respond to issues raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67880/25]

345. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason Mayo County Council has delivered only 3% of its 2025 social housing target to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67927/25]

346. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which Mayo County Council will meet its cumulative Housing for All target of 730 units by 2026, given that only 3% of this year's target has been delivered to date and only 304 units were delivered against a target of 395 in 2022-2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67928/25]

347. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will direct Mayo County Council to publish a quarterly dashboard of housing delivery progress, including commencements, completions, and pipeline projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67929/25]