Parliamentary questions

903. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for affordable housing in County Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11694/25]

904. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has concerns that local authorities are preventing genuine farmers from building on their own lands (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11703/25]

905. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will review the case of a person (details supplied) who is renting elsewhere while reconstruction works are ongoing on their house, covered by the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, to release funding at an earlier stage to assist this person in paying for rent while the works are ongoing.…

906. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to review the business rating system to assist struggling businesses which find the level of rates to be an impediment to sustainable business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11722/25]

907. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will increase funding for schemes to support owners of historic thatched buildings, including the historic structures fund and the historic thatched buildings grant, given that they have been over-subscribed in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11751/25]

908. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department, in consultation with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, will consider purchasing lands (details supplied) in Cork which are currently for sale to assist the State in reaching its nature targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11753/25]

909. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the annual amount claimed by special advisers attached to him or his Department outside of their regular salary, since 1 March 2020 to date in 2025, by mileage claim and amount, subsistence, other vouched expenses and unvouched expenses;and if the travel episode and or journey related to same will be included …

910. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to set out the blockages to the establishment of a statutory register for competent architectural technologists that was committed to by a previous Minister in 2016. [11792/25]

911. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will commit to a meeting with representatives of chartered architectural technologists in Ireland to discuss the legislative process to establish a statutory register for architectural technologists to provide design and assigned certifier functions, in line with the Building Control Act 2007 and Buildin…

912. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when Waterways Ireland will bring their proposals to change the Shannon River bye-laws and canal bye-laws before an Oireachtas committee; when stakeholders, in particular boat owners, will be advised of the proposed changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11829/25]

913. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing units that have been bought by individuals or companies from outside the EU for each of the past five years, by the nationality of the companies and individuals who bought the property. [11830/25]

914. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing units bought by investment funds in Ireland for each of the past five years. [11831/25]

915. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding the High Court’s ruling that wind turbine noise constitutes a nuisance (details supplied), if the Minister will confirm whether wind farm noise at 43 decibels LA90 is considered a statutory nuisance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11843/25]

916. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason none of the ECB interest rates cuts have been passed on to tracker mortgages holders, in particular those with local authority mortgages, which the local authority have said they have no control over. [11851/25]

917. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of homeless mothers who gave birth in each of the past five years. [11879/25]

918. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the support and resources provided by both his Department and from central Government to local authorities across the State to help them implement the WRC agreement reached between a trade union (details supplied) the Government, an organisation and on the pay and working conditions of retained firefigh…

919. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount by which the Economic and Social Intervention Fund, ESIF, was reduced in Limerick in 2024 compared to 2023 and 2025 compared to 2024; if provision has been made to continue the ESIF in Limerick in 2026 and beyond, given that it is a critical instrument to help address disadvantage in Limerick cit…

920. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of homes that have been bought in each county, by each local authority under the tenant-in-situ scheme since the year of commencement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11898/25]

921. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the projects funded to date through the urban regeneration and development fund, by county and location, the total amount allocated to each project, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11922/25]

922. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the means by which he will encourage and incentivise local authorities to deliver a greater focus and budget on nature restoration; and the enforcement measures available should local authorities not comply with their obligations in this regard. [11930/25]

923. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to other State agencies and if his own Government Department have used any of the same IT services providers as the Arts Council (details supplied) and have experienced cost overruns or encountered delays or other issues with them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. …

924. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the work his Department has undertaken since 2017 on each of the eight recommendations from chapter 5 of the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services Report of April 2017 dealing with issues related to water conservation, in tabular form. [12003/25]

925. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of properties in Ireland owned by individuals or businesses from outside the EU; and the estimated total value of these properties. [12043/25]

926. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of homes that have been bought by individuals or businesses from outside the EU in each of the past five years; and the estimated annual value of properties which have been bought by individuals and businesses in the same timeframe. [12044/25]

927. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, given the pressure on the Irish housing market, he will consider banning the purchase of Irish properties by individuals and businesses from outside the EU for the next five years. [12045/25]