Parliamentary questions

588. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if local authorities have a statutory responsibility to remove a respondent subject to a barring order or exclusion order from a joint tenancy; and if not, the reforms that are being considered. [52029/25]

589. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how barring orders or exclusion orders are disclosed to local authorities, and whether a system is in place to ensure timely communication between the Courts Service, the Gardaí and local authorities. [52030/25]

590. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if local authorities are currently obliged to remove perpetrators from a tenancy where a barring order is granted; and if not, whether legislation is being considered to mandate this. [52031/25]

591. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports that are provided to victims and their families in cases where a perpetrator refuses to voluntarily surrender their tenancy despite a barring or exclusion order. [52032/25]

592. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department is considering legislative change to allow victims and families to remain in the home, with the perpetrator legally removed from the tenancy. [52033/25]

593. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to publication of the Government’s Autumn legislative programme, to set out the matters to be addressed in the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill; the timeline for the preparation and publication of the Bill; whether pre-legislative scrutiny is planned in respect of the bill; and if he will ma…

594. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration will be given to introducing phased payments of the grant following on from the review of vacant property refurbishment grant carried out in 2024, to assist applicants with cash flow in managing such projects particularly with massive increased costs in construction (details supplied).…

595. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on a scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52143/25]

596. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on a matter regarding planning (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52149/25]

281. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to consider reviewing the statutory framework for political party funding and governance in light of recent public controversies; the reforms being considered to enhance transparency and compliance; whether new sanctions or monitoring mechanisms are planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51021/2…

282. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the rules governing political party support for independent candidates in presidential elections; the spending or resource implications that arise when parties formally back independents; and the means by which transparency will be maintained over funding, endorsements, and campaign coordination.; and if he will …

283. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage , further to Parliamentary Question No. 276 of 1 October 2024, if he has engaged with the Housing Agency to ensure that it is actually adhering to this guideline (details supplied); if he is aware that 86 affected homeowners in Donegal, who have had their Government-approved engineer’s recommendation fo…

284. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to delivering a new above the shop grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50866/25]

285. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Inland Fisheries Ireland has assessed the impact of the August 2025 Blackwater fish kill on invertebrate populations, including caddisflies, and other macroinvertebrates used as water-quality indicators; and to publish results of any kick-sampling surveys conducted. [50874/25]

286. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the National Parks and Wildlife Service has undertaken an ecological damage assessment on species of conservation concern within the Blackwater river (Cork/Waterford) SAC (002170), including otter, kingfisher, lamprey, atlantic salmon, and freshwater pearl mussel; and if he will provide the findings [50875/25]

287. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the legal obligations under Article 6 of the Habitats Directive triggered by the Blackwater incident; and whether a formal appropriate assessment has been initiated in response. [50876/25]

288. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the mitigation and recovery measures in place to support the recolonisation of protected species within the SAC; and the timelines and estimated costs. [50877/25]

289. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether funding will be allocated to long-term biodiversity monitoring programmes on the Blackwater, including aquatic plants, insect life, and riparian bird species; and the monitoring design of same. [50878/25]

290. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will consider setting up a funding mechanism within his Department to deal with the challenge of unfinished housing estates, where the existing or exhausted cash or insurance bonds fall well short of the required funds to deal with structural, sewerage and water deficits (details supplied). …

291. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the rules governing cost rental eligibility for persons who are officially still on the title deeds of their family home, but have a legal separation or divorce agreement giving their former partner exclusive residential access to the family home. [50923/25]

292. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of sites on the derelict sites register on 31 December 2024; the amount levied in 2024; the amount collected; the cumulative amount owed; the number of sites for which CPO notices were issued; the number of sites CPO’d; the number of sites for which derelict sites register notices were issued; and the…

293. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the function of the Traveller Accommodation Unit (TAU); the means by which funds from the TAU are allocated for housing in traveller communities; whether the funds can be used to staff traveller liaison officers, or other key support workers in Local Authorities; the amount of funding local authorities…

294. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm that planning authorities are required to formally consult the HSE on pertinent planning applications that require an environmental impact assessment to be undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50999/25]

295. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when additional funding will be provided in 2025 to Cavan County Council for the housing aid for older people grant, the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability and the mobility aids grant scheme. [51088/25]

296. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he and his Department will sign off on a defective concrete block scheme to remediate council owned homes; and the reason this has taken so long, considering the impact on large numbers of families. [51090/25]