Parliamentary questions

111. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline Ireland's intended position on any forthcoming EU REACH Committee votes concerning restrictions on the manufacture, sale, importation or use of lead ammunition; if consideration has been given to the potential implications for lawful countryside and conservation activity uses; and if he will make a s…

112. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a list of all capital projects including social and affordable housing, water services, heritage and local authority-led projects funded under the remit of his Department which have been completed on time and within budget in Galway in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he wil…

113. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if reform of the Affordable Housing Act 2021 will be considered to provide a cap on cost rental rent prices beyond the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices mechanism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35744/26]

664. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the implementation of the EU Birds and Habitats Directive; to detail any enforcement or infringement communications received from the EU on this; to confirm if Ireland is on track to meet these targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34568/26]

665. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will confirm that the Commission for Regulation of Utilities already has the legal authority to set enforceable statutory timeframes for Uisce Éireann to issue connection offers and complete connection works; if he will direct the CRU to introduce maximum time limits in line with European norms; and if …

666. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider directing the CRU to introduce statutory maximum timeframes, such as six weeks to issue a connection offer and six weeks to complete works, along with automatic compensation for breaches, in order to address chronic delays in water and wastewater connections; and if he will make a statemen…

667. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of confirmed Asian Hornet nests identified in Ireland in 2025 and to date in 2026; the counties affected; and the actions taken to eradicate them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35323/26]

668. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is grant aid available for septic tanks in close proximity to char habitats, given that char fish are a protected species (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35342/26]

669. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he has examined the feasibility of increasing the retirement age for firefighters to 65 years (details supplied), including any engagement with representative bodies and local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35392/26]

670. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a list of all capital projects including social and affordable housing, water services, heritage and local authority-led projects funded under the remit of his Department which have been completed on time and within budget in the Wicklow Wexford Constituency in each of the past five years, in…

671. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated cost and the implications that would arise from extending the voluntary extension of the retirement age to 65 for retained firefighters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33994/26]

672. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the establishment and meeting frequency of the five working groups (details supplied) committed to in the October 2024 Ministerial Action Plan on planning resources; if he will list the specific recommendations these groups have made to date regarding immediate staff shortages in local a…

673. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in view of the commitment to 'significant resources in the 2024 Action Plan, to provide a breakdown of the way in which the funding secured in Budget 2025 has been allocated specifically to frontline planning posts in local authorities versus administrative or department-level oversight; and if he will make a s…

674. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide the latest workforce data for the local government planning sector, specifically identifying the percentage of current senior and executive planners eligible for retirement within the next five years; the way in which the 2024 Action Plan specifically addresses this imminent loss of institutional kno…

675. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of planners who have been reassigned or recruited to ACP from local authorities since January 2024; the measures in place to backfill these critical vacancies at the local level, regarding the transition of An Bord Pleanála to An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP); and if he will make a statement on the matter…

676. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a list of all capital projects including social and affordable housing, water services, heritage and local authority-led projects funded under the remit of his Department which have been completed on time and within budget in Fingal in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he wi…

677. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a list of all capital projects including social and affordable housing, water services, heritage and local authority-led projects funded under the remit of his Department which have been completed on time and within budget in Longford in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if …

678. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the research that was carried out by his Department prior to the recent changes to planning regulations for modular homes, specifically in relation to the potential for a loss of privacy for neighbouring homes and residents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34111/26]

679. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the research that was carried out by his Department prior to the recent changes to planning regulations for modular homes, specifically in relation to the potential impact on the work of local authorities and their county development plans. [34112/26]

680. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement that was had with architects and town planners prior to the recent changes to planning regulations for modular homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34113/26]

681. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement that was had with senior management within local authorities prior to the recent changes to planning regulations for modular homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34114/26]

682. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the mechanisms that are in place for local authorities to raise concerns related to recent changes to planning regulations for modular homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34115/26]

683. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 358 of 27 November 2025, for an update on the number of affordable homes being provided in the Wicklow part of the Wicklow-Wexford constituency; to confirm that none of the affordable purchase houses in the Wicklow County Council area referenced were in the Arklow Local Ele…

684. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 358 of 27 November 2025, for an update on the number of affordable homes being provided in the Wexford part of the Wicklow-Wexford constituency; and to specifically outline the new affordable homes under construction or that have been provided in the constituency which comp…

685. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the protection a small landlord has when a difficult situation arises (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34217/26]