Parliamentary questions

660. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding streams, including capital assistance scheme, housing for all measures, or other capital programmes, which could be accessed by disability-led or family-led groups seeking to develop accessible, non-institutional housing models that prioritise dignity, choice, and community integration; and if h…

661. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether current housing policy adequately recognises the need for housing models that allow adults with intellectual disabilities to live near friends and established support networks, rather than being placed in isolated or inappropriate settings such as nursing homes or scattered housing far from their co…

662. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement his Department has had with the HSE, the Department of Children, Disability, and Equality, and local authorities to ensure that housing delivery for people with disabilities aligns with individualised supports rather than institutional-style provision; and if he will make a statement on the m…

663. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the planning, land-use, or local authority supports that will be made available to enable a community-based housing model that is neither a congregated setting nor a residential institution, but a fully integrated neighbourhood within a wider housing estate supporting adults with intellectual disabilities; …

664. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether housing for all targets include provision for adults with intellectual disabilities who can live independently with supports; if not, whether he will commit to reviewing this gap in view of ongoing reliance on unsuitable housing options; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14470/26]

665. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide the STAR allocations to each organisation that has been awarded equity payments under this scheme, with a breakdown by scheme and amount of STAR awarded, in tabular form; and the number of applications from private investors and, separately, the LDA, that have not progressed or have been refused to da…

666. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the formal review of the housing assistance payment scheme will conclude; when a revised HAP scheme will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14664/26]

667. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement he has had with local authorities on developing a protocol to allow households fleeing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence to transfer time spent on a social housing waiting list to another local authority; to provide details of the number of meetings he has had; the dates of the meetings …

668. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount spent on second hand acquisitions by each local authority, the number of properties acquired, by local authority, in each of the years 2023 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14666/26]

669. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether a formal decision was taken at Department level to cease centralised data collection and monitoring of the Room for a Student – Local Authority Tenancies Scheme after December 2024; the date on which that decision was made; whether the decision was recorded in writing; and the governance basis upon which …

670. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any written impact assessment, performance review, or evaluation report was prepared prior to the cessation of central monitoring of the Room for a Student – Local Authority Tenancies Scheme; and, if so, whether he will publish or provide the title and date of any such document. [14682/26]

671. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department holds any current aggregate national participation figure for the Room for a Student – Local Authority Tenancies Scheme for the period after December 2024; and, if not, the mechanism by which he satisfies himself that the scheme remains operational and effective across all local authority a…

672. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has undertaken any behavioural or financial analysis of the impact of treating income earned under the Room for a Student – Local Authority Tenancies Scheme as reckonable for differential rent purposes; and whether any policy review of that provision is currently under consideration [14684/…

673. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an overview of the progress made to expand social housing provision since 2020; the priorities for further expansion under the latest housing plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14748/26]

674. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding allocation for the tenant in situ scheme for 2026, including the amounts allocated to each local authority; and the measures in place to ensure that tenants at risk of homelessness, particularly in Dublin Fingal, are protected given the sharp drop in funding and the lack of an alternative scheme…

675. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason funding for the tenant in situ scheme is being cut, particularly in Dublin Fingal where allocations have fallen sharply from 131 homes in 2024 to just 36 in 2025; the measures being taken to ensure that tenants at risk of homelessness are not left without support; and if he will make a statement …

676. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the Government has any plans to introduce a replacement scheme or alternative supports for tenants who would have been eligible under the tenant in situ programme, in order to prevent families from entering homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14778/26]

677. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which he reconciles concerns about local authority “over-reliance” on the tenant in situ scheme with the ongoing urgent housing needs; the guidance or additional resources which are being provided to councils to ensure that at-risk tenants can remain in their homes; and if he will make a statemen…

678. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the shift from an acquisition tenant in situ target approach in 2024 to a capped funding allocation in 2025 is intended to reduce social housing acquisitions overall; and if so, the alternative strategies in place to meet the housing needs of those threatened with homelessness; and if he will make a…

679. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the criteria which will be used to determine which councils receive support under the tenant in situ scheme; whether Dublin Fingal will receive sufficient funding to continue protecting tenants at risk of losing their homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14781/26]

680. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current status of the recommendations set out in a report (details supplied); the proposed review of noise regulation; the development of best practice guidance for local authorities managing night time venues in mixed use urban areas; the steps, if any, his Department has taken to advance these measures; …

681. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider implementing a localised weather warning system, given the recent severe weather events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14816/26]

682. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the updated renewable energy planning guidelines will be published; the current status of their preparation and consultation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13280/26]

683. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the fire safety remediation scheme will be put on a statutory footing; when residents who are living in a location (details supplied) can expect to ultimately get refunds for their contributions to ensuring works go ahead in advance of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14836/26]

684. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will meet with the Lough Neagh stake-holders group to discuss the current ecological crisis impacting the lake, and by extension to the sections of the wider river basin management area that fall within the counties under his jurisdiction. [14875/26]