Parliamentary questions

435. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated full-year costs to recruit four additional WTE hydrometeorologists for Met Eireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5814/25]

436. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to increase the income thresholds for social housing support in 2025 to bring them in line with general wage/income increases since they were last adjusted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5826/25]

437. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will ask his officials to investigate making arrangements to set aside a portion of new cost rental developments to ensure that persons earning above the threshold for social housing assistance can access the schemes, as some have being missing out due to their income (above the threshold for social housi…

438. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the increased rates and cap under the defective concrete blocks scheme will be applied retrospectively to homeowners who have already completed their rebuild or remediation works before the relevant legislation is passed; if not, the rationale for this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. …

439. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the gender breakdown of his Department in respect of principal officers, assistant secretaries and secretaries general, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5856/25]

440. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if plans to extend the temporary waiver in respect of development contributions payable to local authorities for building a house in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5876/25]

441. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will consider increasing the threshold of the housing aid for older people grant to cover the cost of installation of non-fossil fuel heat sources, further to the changes in the criteria of the grant which prohibit funding of installation fossil fuel boilers; and if he will make a statement on the ma…

442. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when group water schemes that were unsuccessful in the recent Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2024-2026 funding allocation can next expect to apply for measure A6-taking-in-charge of group water schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5932/25]

443. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what funding was made available to Cork County Council in 2024 in terms of returning vacant housing units to council housing stock and making them available for allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5945/25]

444. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to implement a once-off transitional measure in respect of the defective concrete blocks grant scheme that will allow an increase to the scheme’s cap and rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5946/25]

445. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans for a referendum on lowering the voting age to 16 years-of-age, given no reference was made to it in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5951/25]

446. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current balances for development contributions, by local authority, and the current expected expenditure of said amount by each local authority, in tabular form. [5990/25]

447. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to list all approved housing body social and cost rental development proposals that are currently with his Department waiting initial approval, with a breakdown by local authority, number of units and length of time a decision has been pending. [5993/25]

448. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of staff sanction requests for housing staff currently awaiting decision with his Department, with a breakdown by local authority. [5995/25]

449. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will bring to Cabinet the tenant-in-situ targets for 2025. [5996/25]

450. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he accepts that immigration and inward migration are creating significant challenges in terms of meeting housing demand with supply; if his Department has made any recommendations to Cabinet or any other department regarding the impact of immigration and inward migration on housing supply; if he will conduct a…

451. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider a waiver in respect of development contributions for houses being built in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6040/25]

452. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will publish the Mulcahy report into planning irregularities in Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6058/25]

453. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to proposals in Spain in relation to taxation on real estate bought by non-EU residents (details supplied); if any research has been carried out by his Department into the potential impact of this policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6125/25]

454. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the wake of storm Éowyn, if his Department will take measures to further support local authorities in the dissemination of information to the public relating to local, regional and national supports and services available to the public during periods of poor weather and electricity blackouts, particularly giv…

455. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the wake of storm Éowyn, if his Department will take measures to liaise with local authority local co-ordination groups, crisis management teams, severe weather activation teams, and any other relevant teams and personnel to assess and review their response and capabilities at local level, with the view of id…

456. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the National Emergency Co-ordination Group will reconvene all relevant bodies to assess and review response efforts to storm Éowyn once all emergency efforts are stood down; and if there will be an opportunity for organisations and bodies to engage with the group to further inform future storm responses. [616…

457. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the wake of storm Éowyn and following on from his Departments work as part of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group, if consideration will be given to local co-ordination groups being established in all affected counties in the wake of a storm, as opposed to just those worst affected (details supplied); …

458. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage following serious weather events in recent weeks, if his Department plans to work with local authorities to expand their snow and ice management resources during cold spells, given the impact they can have on travel, access to services, and commercial businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6…

459. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he plans to engage with the business sector, particularly SMEs, following requests to temporarily reduce commercial rates to ease financial burdens during and following serious weather events, like experienced in recent weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6167/25]