Parliamentary questions

187. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Government will reinstate planning laws for the location of IPAS centres across the country. [5080/25]

188. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to support the application for a community monument fund for Coolbane Mill, Freemount, County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5117/25]

189. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of properties registered with each local authority for short-term rentals in Donegal; the total number of applications of planning permission for short-term rental in Donegal local authority; the total number refused and accepted in Donegal, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on …

346. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of businesses established in 2024 in existing rateable premises. [4302/25]

347. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will introduce planning permission for a change of the use of land from a family farm to an industrial agricultural unit, as large investors are buying up land for tax purposes, which is pushing up land prices and pushing families off the farm; and the current system is creating new landlords with large l…

348. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will change the law to stop vexatious opposition to farmers’ planning permissions from individuals with no material interest in an area, as currently, a small number of serial objectors, often located many miles from a development, can oppose a planning permission. [3956/25]

349. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is conscious of the substantial progress made by Kildare County Council in utilising the tenant-in-situ purchasing scheme to combat homelessness; if he envisages approving a rolling programme for Kildare and other local authorities to maximise the benefits of the scheme; when fresh approval will issue …

350. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the recent storms and the wipeout of electricity supply, if he will allow for chimneys to be built on new homes to allow for the burning of biomass. [3979/25]

351. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in light of a constituent’s recent communication with Housing Acquisitions, where it was stated that there is no budget available for 2025 to purchase properties, if he will clarify why such constraints are in place despite prior Government commitments to address the housing crisis, specifically, what steps he is…

352. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the interdepartmental group on coastal change management and the work of the steering group charged with addressing the recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4018/25]

353. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to publish the ministerial brief he received on commencing his role; and when and by what means it will be published. [4095/25]

354. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will commence a review of the defective concrete block grant scheme. [4106/25]

355. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason the Housing Agency continues to downgrade the recommendations of engineers acting for homeowners under the defective concrete block grant scheme, applying the I.S. 465 when that standard is soon to be significantly amended by the NSAI. [4107/25]

356. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on any plans and timelines to extend the temporary waiver in respect of development contributions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4118/25]

357. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department is considering changes to the ‘enhanced defective concrete block scheme’ regarding extensions to the accommodation allowance due to delays that are outside the control of the homeowner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4147/25]

358. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when legislation will be changed in order to facilitate the retrospective payment of the rate and cap increases to participants in the ‘enhanced defective concrete block scheme’; if the increases will be applied to the small number of houses that have completed works; and if he will make a statement on the matte…

359. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when updated wind energy development guidelines can be expected, particularly in regard to setback distances from households related to the significant height of modern turbines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4154/25]

360. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions he will take to ensure rural communities are protected from over saturation of industrial-scale wind energy developments and their adverse effects on residential amenities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4155/25]

361. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has a role in considering applications for a gold mine in the Sperrin Mountains, given that it may impact on heritage sites there; and if he will make a statement on his engagement with the Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy on the matter. [4169/25]

362. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in respect of each Bill for which his Department had responsibility and that was initiated in 2024, or that was enacted in 2024, to specify in which House of the Oireachtas the Bill was initiated; the number of ministerial or Government amendments submitted at each legislative Stage of the Bill; if the gui…

363. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on his engagements with European counterparts and the European Union regarding assistance to alleviate the impact of storm Éowyn; the timeframe in which it was first considered to seek assistance; when a request for assistance was first made; if an offer of support was offered in advance of this…

364. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the salary scale that applies to the Secretary General of his Department; whether this scale has changed in the past year; whether there are proposals to change this scale in the coming period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4321/25]

365. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on a national erosion policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4331/25]

366. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of social housing properties acquired through the tenant-in-situ scheme and the cost rental tenant in-situ-scheme, respectively since their inception. [4420/25]

367. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a schedule of expenditure relating to IT external service provision in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, including the company name and amount expended with them, in tabular form. [4476/25]