Parliamentary questions

1453. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of times the income eligibility thresholds for social housing have been increased nationally in the past 20 years; the years those increases occurred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41438/25]

1454. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the years in which the social housing income bands were changed; and to outline each change. [41439/25]

1455. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of times the social housing income bands in County Mayo have been increased since 2010; the dates those changes took effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41440/25]

1456. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current income bands or caps that determine eligibility for affordable housing supports under Housing for All. [41441/25]

1457. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to list all housing support schemes available to households whose incomes exceed the social housing and fall below affordable housing thresholds. [41442/25]

1458. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of times he has met with the RIAI since he was appointed; the list of attendees and the dates of any meetings in relation held; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41451/25]

1459. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of times he has met with the IPI since he was appointed; the list of attendees and the dates of any meetings held; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41452/25]

1460. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will urgently reconsider the significant reduction in funding to the tenant in situ scheme allocated to Fingal County Council, reported to have been cut by more than 50%, and funding already allocated, given that this scheme remains one of the few effective mechanisms currently preventing families fr…

1461. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the European Commission's concerns regarding the alleged non-conformity of Ireland's transposition of the Drinking Water Directive, as set out in the letter of formal notice it announced it was sending to Ireland on 17 July 2025 (INFR(2025)2106); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41…

1462. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to state whether a strategic environmental assessment and-or screening for a strategic environmental assessment and-or an appropriate assessment was carried on the planning design standards for apartments guidelines for planning authorities, 2025, prior to the publication of the guidelines. [41487/25]

1463. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to state whether a strategic environmental assessment and-or screening for a strategic environmental assessment and-or an appropriate assessment was carried out on Seanad amendment No. 24 to the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025, amending Part III of the Act of 2000, to provide for modification of …

1464. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if all external legal fees incurred by his Department, and by any bodies under its aegis, are charged at negotiated discounted rates; how fees are monitored for compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41507/25]

1465. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department conducts regular benchmarking, or market testing, to ensure that the rates paid for legal services, solicitors and barristers, represent value for money for the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41525/25]

1466. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to detail the procurement processes used when engaging external legal firms and barristers, including whether panels are used; how often these are refreshed; the criteria used for selection and performance review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41543/25]

1467. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has conducted any audits or reviews in the past five years on legal fee spend; if so, to publish the findings or summaries of those reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41561/25]

1468. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the internal oversight that exists within his Department to monitor the scope, duration, and cost escalation of legal services once engaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41579/25]

1469. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department makes use of capped fee arrangements, fixed-fee briefs, success-based fee models or other such arrangements in its legal engagements; if not, the reason such options are not considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41597/25]

1470. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any legal engagements have exceeded their initial estimated or approved cost in the past three years; if so, the number of such cases and the total overrun; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41615/25]

1471. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority home loan applications submitted to Roscommon County Council in 2024 and to date in 2025, the number in each year, to date, processed, the number approved, the number ongoing and the length of time applications are taking for the mortgage to be drawn down, in tabular form. [41630…

1472. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority home loan applications submitted to Galway County Council in 2024 and to date in 2025, the number in each year, to date, processed, the number approved, the number ongoing and the length of time applications are taking for the mortgage to be drawn down, in tabular form. [41631/25…

1473. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority home loan applications submitted to Offaly County Council in 2024 and to date in 2025, the number in each year, to date, processed, the number approved, the number ongoing and the length of time applications are taking for the mortgage to be drawn down, in tabular form. [41632/25…

1474. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on any work being carried out by his Department into the population growth of seagulls; their migration patterns and status as a protected species; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41633/25]

1475. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the number of public and private houses and apartments actually built per annum since 2015, broken down by number of bedrooms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41647/25]

1476. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide assistance as a matter of priority towards the cost of thatching a landmark building in Dublin (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41663/25]

1477. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a detailed progress report in regard to the €6 million in funding that was announced by his Department on 7 December 2023 for the long overdue sewerage scheme for Beaufort village, County Kerry; if he will explain the lack of progress to date and confirm when will work commence on this long overdue…