Parliamentary questions

580. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider expanding the “Fresh Start Principle” to include individuals who have experienced credit damage arising out of a separation or divorce but are now financially stable for the purpose of mortgage applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16330/26]

581. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to advise on a policy issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16331/26]

582. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason the sectoral adaptation plan for Built Environment and Planning (2025-2030) has not yet been published; when it will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16377/26]

583. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list of all designated conservation areas across the State, by location and the local authority under whose remit they fall. [16384/26]

584. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if local authorities under the housing adaptation grant approve and fund modular bathroom pods where they are deemed the most appropriate method to meet the applicant’s needs, and in a timely manner, given they already pay for stairlifts which are modular and temporary; and if he will make a statement on the m…

585. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the process that was put in place to arrange for property registered to Cork County Council to be transferred to Cork City Council after the extension of the city boundary; the reason three houses in an area (details supplied) which have been vacant for over ten years remain registered to Cork County Council but a…

586. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of houses occupied by bats in County Kerry that are designated as bat roosts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16454/26]

587. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to introduce a scheme that would allow local authorities to facilitate the exchange of a privately owned larger dwelling for a smaller local authority property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16456/26]

588. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether local authorities that own land for house building are liable for the residential zoned land tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16457/26]

589. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of WTE qualified entomologists employed by his Department as of 24 February 2026, in tabular form. [16507/26]

590. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department is considering a new phase of supports for existing cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme applicants, as per correspondence issued to said applicants; the stage this consideration is at; when applicants will be informed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16510/26]

591. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm if individuals may avail of Government schemes such as the help-to-buy scheme, and first home scheme when purchasing a modular home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16541/26]

592. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to list all schemes, funding programmes, capital funds, grant streams or other expenditure headings administered by his Department in 2025 and 2026 which result in allocations, awards, or spending that can be identified with a specific geographical location including county, district, town, or project site, to g…

593. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide the web link to his Department’s Q4 2025 published report of purchase orders/payments over €20,000, in line with the FOI model publication scheme requirements; the date on which this report was published; and if it has not yet been published, the planned publication date. [16572/26]

594. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm, in respect of his Department’s published quarterly reports of procurement-related payments or purchase orders over €20,000 (details supplied), where such reports are published in PDF format but originate from an Excel or similar spreadsheet file, that the underlying data was fully expanded and valida…

595. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there has been any assessment in relation to purchasing the lands included within the SAAO at St. Edmundsbury/Woodville and elsewhere along the Liffey Valley as part of plans to expand the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s land ownership; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16624/26]

596. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current status of the legislative or Departmental guidelines regarding the restructuring of legacy shared ownership loans into annuity loans; if he is aware of cases where local authorities have failed to process restructuring applications for several years, leading to the 'expiry' of the loan through no fau…

597. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is considering an update or review of the septic tank grant, given the amount of ground water in the State over the past number of months and the very negative effect that this may have on old tanks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16660/26]

598. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if approved housing bodies must carry a sinking fund for repair of their housing stock; the solutions where such a fund may not be available for many urgent repairs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16661/26]

599. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the up to date position on an infrastructural project in County Kildare (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16664/26]

600. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Government the total number of properties acquired by local authorities under the local authority tenant-in-situ scheme, broken down by county, for 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16668/26]

601. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 766 of 17 February 2026, his views on whether public sector job applicants that are coming from the private sector are disadvantaged in terms of requiring new hires to start of the bottom of the pay scale; his views on whether this acts as a barrier to unfair competition compa…

602. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will overhaul the built heritage investment scheme run by his Department, in view of the fact that this year, very few vernacular buildings received grant funding, so that vernacular buildings would have their own particular grant scheme, similar to years up to and including 2025 (details supplied); and if…

603. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are any supports available to homeowners who have become disabled after purchasing their home and are struggling with mortgage payments as a result of a change in income; if not, if he is considering enacting supports of this nature; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16683/26]

604. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the present guidance for gardeners on hedge management; whether small-scale hedge trimming is prohibited between the 1 March and 31 August under section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976, or whether this activity falls under the exceptions for agriculture; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16684/26]