Parliamentary questions

176. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider the urgent establishment of a taskforce for Clonmel town centre (details supplied) to deal with the extensive levels of vacancy and dereliction facing the town; if he will work with the Minister for Justice and Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to establish such a taskforc…

177. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will clarify the required qualifications for executive engineering positions within local authorities; if he considers a BSc in civil engineering to be an appropriate qualification given that it is accredited by two professional organisations (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the …

178. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the total demolition of a property is acceptable under the vacant properties grant; if not, if it deems a property ineligible for the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8307/25]

179. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if additional seating and picnic areas are planned for the various blueways in the State, in view of their continued success; the locations and number of such areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8326/25]

180. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the plans Waterways Ireland has to further develop berthing areas along our canals and blueways; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8327/25]

181. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will establish an independent investigation into the trading of 44 homes for profit in Cork in view of the fact that they were grant aided under section 20 of the Housing (Amendment) Act 1948 on the condition that they would not be sold (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [83…

182. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider introducing stage payments in respect of the Croí Cónaithe and vacant and derelict property grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8386/25]

183. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the progression of the new guidelines for wind energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8403/25]

184. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the plans in relation to the recommendations of the Housing Commission report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8418/25]

185. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry qualifies for the over shop grant for accommodation; the details that are available in respect of this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8461/25]

186. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a BSc degree in civil engineering is an eligible qualification for executive engineer and other engineering roles in local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8540/25]

485. Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will respond to correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7923/25]

486. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline, in light of his recent correspondence to an organisation (details supplied) and local authorities, including Donegal County Council, on total sulphur test methods for aggregates, the reason homeowners in Donegal are still having their homes assessed under the existing standard, I.S. 465, whe…

487. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if grant-aid is available to support families construct a granny flat or similar structure on the property of their family home for members of their own families who may have additional needs or disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7177/25]

488. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding allocated by his Department to local authorities to process the croí cónaithe grants; and the number of additional staff allocated to vacant property units in local authorities. [7197/25]

489. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Dublin City Council has requested additional staffing support for the vacant property unit for the purpose of processing croí cónaithe grant applications. [7198/25]

490. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total value of croí cónaithe grants paid out in 2024 compared to the total amount of funding available. [7199/25]

491. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount provided for the return of voids in 2023, 2024 and 2025; and the number of homes this was for respectively, by local authority, in tabular form. [7245/25]

492. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of relevant sites for the residential zoned land tax which a levy has been applied, the amount that has been collected to date and the amount owed, by local authority. [7246/25]

493. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding provided for public realm enhancement in each of the years 2019, 2024 and 2025, by local authority, in tabular form. [7247/25]

494. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people currently employed as graduate planner, assistant planner, executive planner and senior planner respectively, in his Department, in tabular form. [7248/25]

495. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount spent in each of the years 2019, 2023 and 2024 by his Department on planning consultancy firms, in tabular form. [7249/25]

496. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason a fully completed apartment complex is lying vacant for the past six months on the corner of Grange Road and Nutgrove Avenue, Rathfarnham; and if this development was included in his Department’s figures for housing completions in 2024, notwithstanding the fact that it remains vacant. [7262/25]

497. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will take into consideration the circumstances of applicants when assessing applications for housing adaptations for people with a disability, housing aid for older people and the mobility aids grant (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7297/25]

498. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the actions taken in Louth by the Land Development Agency, and to list the State-owned sites that might be available for potential development. [7300/25]