Parliamentary questions

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]

1404. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on his Department’s review of ##wind energy development guidelines and the publication of the revised guidelines. [40847/25]

1405. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when a decision will be made on funding allocations for the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2024-2026 under measure A5 – Extensions and new schemes; if a decision has been made on a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40869/25]

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]

1407. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide data on the number of refusals by the pillar banks of the first home scheme in each of the years 2020 to 2025; the reasons for refusals, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40902/25]

1408. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if additional funding will be made available to local authorities to assist in the purchase of additional four to five-bed larger family homes needed, that are not currently in the housing stock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40963/25]

1409. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the manner in which MEPs who do not serve their full term are replaced; whether the list of replacement candidates submitted in advance of the nomination deadline, and published alongside the notice of poll, can subsequently be amended by the party or independent candidate who originally submitted it; and if he …

1410. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 518 of 8 July 2025, the reason rough sleepers are not counted in the monthly homeless statistics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40967/25]

1411. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on whether the recent declaration of yellow warnings by Met Éireann for what was a period of average summer weather was excessive; if his Department has had any engagement with Met Éireann on the use or overuse of these colour-coded warnings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40969/25]

1412. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications made under the first home scheme in each of the years since it was set up, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40978/25]

1413. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applicants approved by the first home scheme in each of the years since it was set up; the number of these applicants who did not draw down the funds; the number who did not draw down due to the fact that the pillar bank refused the first home scheme, in tabular form; and if he will make a statemen…

1414. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeframe for sourcing a suitable site for the south-west fire station in Cork following the publication of the fire cover review; if the project will be expedited considering the lack of a fire service in the general area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40980/25]

1415. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the immediate measures he is taking to protect thatched properties and to ensure that they can obtain sufficient insurance to ensure their survival as an important element of our national heritage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40983/25]

1416. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will urgently sanction additional funding to Sligo County Council for the housing adaptation grant for older people and people with a disability schemes to bring its allocation to €2,450,000, which would equate to the sum provided in the council budget for 2025; and if he will make a statement on the mat…

1417. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the progress on the Marine Protected Areas Bill 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41042/25]

1418. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when his Department will resolve the ongoing issues for tenants in the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme with houses owned by the Housing Agency, with tenants still paying high rents with no recourse for repairs or maintenance, or long-term rental agreements or registration with the RTB; and if he will make a s…

1419. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide the total number of grant payments issued by the Department in each of the past five years, along with the total value of those grant payments for each year, in tabular form; and to confirm whether these figures include all schemes and discretionary grant programmes administered directly by the Depar…

1420. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to his Department’s published procurement-related payments over €20,000 for 2023 and 2024, the methodology used to calculate and display the total figures now included in these reports, introduced first in the 2023 Q4 report (details supplied); if any exclusions, adjustments, data timing differences or …

1421. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide access to his Department’s procurement-related payment reports over €20,000 for years prior to 2020, noting that such records are not currently visible or accessible on the Department’s designated webpage for these reports (details supplied); if he will either provide direct links to these earlier re…

1422. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a breakdown of major amenity and regeneration projects funded by his Department or through the URDF in the past five years, if he will comment on the balance of investment between the northside and southside of Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41092/25]

1423. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are any circumstances whereby a social housing applicant can transfer his or her application to another local authority and retain their original date of application. [41167/25]

1424. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are any circumstances whereby a social housing tenant can transfer to a property in another local authority in another county i.e. in cases where there are extenuating family and personal reasons and there should be some provision for this. [41168/25]

1425. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the final turnout for 2024 for Vote 34, including capital and current expenditure and all subheads and programme level outturns. [41171/25]

1426. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will approve funding at an early date in respect of a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41206/25]

1427. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications for the vacant property refurbishment grant in each month since it was established; the number approved, granted, refused and rejected; the number for which a decision is pending; and if he will detail how much money has been paid out under the scheme to date. [41211/25]