Search the record

more interested in looking after speculators and issuing nice press statements, we see it with what happened in the budget. We have a housing crisis. This will not solve the housing crisis but it is a small step. This is a solution we are bringing forward … charge enough. As if that is not bad enough, the Minister announced the derelict sites tax and then said that, as Minister for housing, he would have a war on dereliction. That is a load of bull because the tax does not come in until

been outlined already, will not fix all of the problems the Government has created and the disaster it has made of housing, but will make a contribution. In truth, if the Minister was interested in solving the problem of dereliction, he would be listening to Deputy Gould … rest of it - for ten years. In those ten years, we have seen so many lives destroyed by the Government's housing crisis. The housing crisis has been created by Government policy. It has not been solved by Government policy and I am sure not even the Minister

year to bring properties back into property stock. The cost of an average composite door now for a front door of a house is €2,500. That is what a person will pay. Most people have to go to the credit union for a loan … they are in private houses. There are then all the criteria and laws that are there. If a house is made vacant by a local authority or has been handed back to the local authority, the fire marshal goes in and says, "You have

Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy, as embodied within the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The new plan reinforces and expands the range of existing measures being implemented by the Government to tackle … homes to purchase and rent. As outlined in Delivering Homes, Building Communities, all local authorities will be required to prepare a new housing delivery action plan, which will identify affordable housing needs within their areas and set out how this will be met. These new housing delivery action

quality wastewater treatment are a priority. Crucially, this also facilitates the development of homes in all parts of our country. As Minister for housing, I believe that the delivery of quality water must be hand in glove with the acceleration in our delivery of homes across all tenures … speak about water service delivery. It plays an essential role in enabling economic growth, social inclusion, environmental sustainability and the delivery of our housing need. Uisce Éireann supplies drinking water to over 80% of the population, with two thirds of households connected to public wastewater services. The Uisce

issue I am raising with the Minister is house prices and the availability of housing. In County Laois, house prices are up, rents are up, homelessness is up and notices to quit are up. Despite the best efforts of the council, which has a good active housing programme … homeless figures increased by 60% when you compare December's figures with those last year. The Government's social housing target for 2025 was 10,000 - a low enough, modest target. In the first nine months of the year, just 3,143 were constructed - 31%. Cost rental

commend my colleague Deputy Gould on bringing forward this very simple but sensible legislation. Leaving homes derelict in the middle of the deepest housing crisis in the modern history of the State is akin to hoarding food during a famine. This is a comment that I and many … other Members of this House have made repeatedly. I note with some interest the language the Minister has started to use with respect to dereliction. He has used it again here by using terms like "antisocial behaviour" and "war on dereliction". In a recent interview, he stated that

partially treated wastewater discharges; — persistent delays in the delivery, repair and replacement of water and wastewater infrastructure have created direct blockages to housing delivery, public health protection, economic activity and environmental compliance; — Uisce Éireann has repeatedly failed to meet expected performance standards in leakage reduction, network renewal, upgrade … discharges to persist for extended periods without guaranteed interim mitigation or permanent remediation; — delays in water and wastewater capacity upgrades have directly impeded housing delivery, public services, tourism and enterprise development, despite lands being zoned and planning permission granted; and — the current model provides no structured mechanism

thank the Minister for his reply. He quoted different sets of figures from the CSO. I am quoting figures from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Yes, it has to be a priority, but the Government needs to scale up the delivery of cost rental … affordable to buy for that wedge of people, workers and families, who are caught just above the threshold for social housing but below the level of income that would make getting a mortgage achievable . One of the things I would say to the Minister, and I have said

those who attended the meeting. Again, we have to have faith in our own democracy and assert our own principles here in this House. We should do this and do so collectively, but, again, it is a challenging area. The increasing fragmentation of Irish politics is a problem … opening the door for exploitation and manipulation. This is something everyone in the House should be mindful of. There will be those who will seek to exploit it and we have to resist that. All of us have to resist that type of influence, be it external

rental market across the country, taking account of stakeholder engagement. The modifications to rent controls have been informed by the findings of the Housing Agency review of rent pressure zones and potential policy options. This review was undertaken to assess the operation of RPZs since their introduction … also to consider whether RPZs should continue without change, be removed, modified or replaced. The review, which is published on the Housing Agency website, involved engagement with a wide variety of stakeholders, including investors, representatives of landlord and tenant advocacy groups, academics and the RTB. The agency submitted

Deputy Cummins, knows full well what I will say. It is over for him and the senior Minister when it comes to providing housing and developing the level of housing required in this country. I refer to what I predicted on 27 April 2012 in this very House … this Government because the lead time is five to seven years. If you do not have the infrastructure, you cannot build the houses. It is like someone trying to perform operations without oxygen or blood. It is impossible. This House, previous Governments, bad politics and short-termism have

housing completion figures announced earlier show that we are thousands of homes short of the target the Tánaiste set. The number of homes is almost 5,000 short of the 41,000 that he promised to deliver. Of course, the Government is trying to run away from that … target now. The housing Minister has decided that annual targets are a distraction. A distraction from what? This is the number of new homes that the Tánaiste said are needed and that he promised to deliver. The 41,000 target is there, in black and white, published

first countries to have brought forward a policy framework on this. I will use the opportunity here to inform the House of the progress we are making there and where I see this going further. I acknowledge Deputy O'Gorman's work on this Bill and on this … engagement on this issue. This is not the first time he has raised it, and other colleagues who are here in the House, including Deputy Currie, have raised this issue on a number of occasions directly with me as well. In particular, it is very important that

times the national average, while nearly 40 per cent live in enforced deprivation; — in the context of escalating costs in energy, food and housing, disabled people are particularly vulnerable to cost pressures, especially as they are more likely to spend more of their time at home; — the State … they are experiencing an extremely challenging winter period, due to cost pressures associated both with their disabilities and seasonal costs, including energy, housing, and food costs; — an immediate emergency winter payment would serve as a vital support, which would protect against the increased risk to disabled people

Like my other colleagues around the House and from the Government benches as well, I want to congratulate Deputy Ward on this Bill, which is well put together. I accept, as the Minister said, that a little bit of tweaking here and there and a little … fairness, we are putting new plans together all the time. We are putting forward new legislation. We are submitting ideas to the House. We are giving information to the House and providing credible opposition. Something we are all united on - the voices around the House have been

priority, nothing is a priority. In the €19.1 billion that we are going to spend this year, there are four clear priorities. Housing is number one, along with the enablers of housing in water, wastewater, energy costs and transportation, which are key to unlocking housing. For every single … accommodation if you do not have the means to do so. That is why this Government has worked to ensure we are prioritising housing. If the Deputy looks at the CSO data that was published at Christmas, apartment completions are up 30% year-on-year for the first

cities. Does the Minister know how hard it is for people living in overcrowded accommodation with two or three generations in the one house when there is a derelict site around the corner? Does he know how hard it is for people in emergency accommodation to bring their … leaving this country to go to Australia because they cannot find somewhere to rent. There are people leaving because they cannot find a house to buy. There are people who are stuck because they cannot get social housing but cannot afford rent. I am not sure about

This is something I have looked at and discussed with the Minister, Deputy Browne. I have a limited remit because the Minister for housing and the Department of housing have full control over the rental rules and landlord and tenant legislation. I make submissions and I have engagement … student accommodation, PBSA. With regard to the private residential sector, there are challenges in trying to come up with student-specific rules for houses in which students might be living. To take a typical three-bed, semi-detached house in one of the university towns as an example

heretofore but, second, there has to be a balance between attracting private sector investment in addition to the enormous public sector investment in housing. The Department of Finance estimates that to get to 50,000 houses a year, we need about €20 billion in the economy allocated … spent on housing. The State will not be in a position to find €20 billion every year for the next ten years and, therefore, we do need a balance. There is no question but that this emanated from the national Housing Commission although not the specifics. The national

thank Members of the House for the opportunity to provide an update on the Government’s work to accelerate infrastructure delivery, and to discuss my Department’s role in the management and delivery of capital projects and programmes. In particular, I will outline some of the recent … acutely aware of the multifaceted and interconnected challenges the Government faces in infrastructure deficits and the need to prioritise investment in major housing, water, energy and transport projects. In the programme for Government, published one year ago, we made five key commitments for infrastructure delivery. They were

trying to give it solutions. We want to work with it. We want to do so because the people we represent have no housing and cannot get hospital appointments. There is a crisis in this country. What has the Government done? It has brought out a new, shiny … pages, 110 of which outline the problems and indicate why there is a crisis and an emergency in the area of housing. The document does not say that the Government has been in power for the past 15 years. The Government is blaming everyone else. There

effect on families, namely, the blanket ban that is often imposed on having pets. It was an important policy to get into our housing plan. For many people, especially those who live on their own but for all families, pets provide comfort and connection … enormous source of emotional support and companionship. Pets are often seen as part of the family. The new national housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, commits to reviewing the code of practice for the approved housing body allocation process, which is an agreed set of arrangements between local

their own legal advice. That legal advice has confirmed to them that a blanket ban would be unconstitutional. I want to assure the House that today’s legislation is not the end of the matter. I am committed to restricting intrusions into victims’ privacy rights to the maximum … impartial and objective judicial scrutiny. I expect to be in a position in the near future to bring concrete proposals before this House in this regard. Elsewhere, the Bill introduces measures to protect those at risk from the sexually predatory behaviour of accommodation being offered in return

Carlow border. In particular, I want to welcome the new initiative that will allow private sector involvement in developing wastewater systems for smaller housing developments of up to 40 homes. This initiative is a crucial step towards addressing the infrastructure deficit in rural areas, particularly in Carlow-Kilkenny … where housing development has long been restricted by a lack of adequate wastewater facilities. By enabling developers to collaborate with Uisce Éireann on low-volume wastewater systems, the Government is providing a much needed solution that will accelerate housing delivery in areas that are currently stifled by infrastructure

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline for the preparation of a national planning statement regarding rural housing and housing within Gaeltacht areas, as promised by the Government in its national housing plan; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether, in light of representations from the construction sector, including concerns raised by an organisation (details supplied), he accepts that lower first home scheme price ceilings in counties such as Tipperary are actively discouraging private housing … developers face higher construction costs without corresponding scheme support; the assessment that has been undertaken of the impact of price ceilings on housing supply, particularly in regional and Border counties; if the six-monthly review process adequately reflects real construction costs and market conditions, rather than solely historic

Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the responsibilities a county council continues to have for people on their housing list after they allocate them housing with a housing body where issues with maintenance or other works arise; and if he will make

Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can provide details of the options open to a person or family in need of housing who earn over the income limit to qualify for social housing, who are paying rent … able to save for a deposit yet are under the income threshold for housing deemed to be affordable by the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3132/26

Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to review or increase the income eligibility thresholds for social housing support administered by Dublin City Council; and the housing options available for households, particularly working couples, whose incomes are marginally above … social housing threshold but who cannot afford private rental accommodation and may be at risk of homelessness (details supplied). [2689/26

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total expenditure by his Department on social housing acquisitions in 2025; and to provide a breakdown of the number of homes purchased with this funding, by type including tenant-in-situ, vacant homes acquisition … housing first, age-friendly right sizing, and so on. [7144/26

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he accepts that a growing cohort of working households in private rental accommodation are effectively excluded from both social housing, affordable housing supports and cost rental; the targeted policy responses that exist for this group

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the assessment which has been carried out on the impact of leaving newly built social housing units vacant on local communities housing demand and homelessness in Dublin; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the income accrued by social housing tenants renting a room in their property and availing of the rent a room tax relief is also disregarded for the purposes of calculating the social housing tenants

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage as part of the solution to the housing crisis and in addition to allowing planning exemptions for modular homes in back gardens, to allow modular homes be given favourable consideration in the context of obtaining planning … permission as a replacement for one off housing (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7205/26

Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to move Offaly from grade 3 of the housing income eligibility and instead place them in grade 2; if he intends to reassess the income thresholds for social housing in Offaly

Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average all-in cost per social housing unit delivered in 2025 under Housing for All, disaggregated by build, acquisition, and leasing. [5669/26

Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has examined cases in which households affected by disability exceed income thresholds for social and affordable housing supports, yet are unable to realistically access the private housing market due to reliance

Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether cross-departmental work is underway to address situations in which households affected by long-term disability fall between income supports, housing supports, and access to market housing; if not, whether such an approach will

Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has considered the difficulty for single full-time workers in securing housing (details supplied); if a review will be carried out on the social housing eligibility bands; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm if the funding for the recently announced infrastructure fund to be administered by the housing delivery office, will be funded under REV programme subhead A21; to confirm that this replaced the local infrastructure … housing activation fund; and the way in which the administration of this fund will differ from its LIHAF predecessor. [6520/26

Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention had been drawn to his Department’s involvement in the production of the housing-related video published by an organisation (details supplied) prior to speaking to the Oireachtas housing committee on the matter

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to allow for modular housing and low-cost sites, to address the urgent housing crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4551/26

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of social housing acquisitions in 2024 and 2025, by acquisition type, including tenant-in-situ, vacant homeless acquisition, housing first, older persons, and so on. [4944/26

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to allow for more one-off houses to be built to tackle the housing crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4552/26

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Housing Activation Office became operational; its current staffing and remit; the key targets and priority actions set for Q1 2026; the role it is playing in supporting large scale housing delivery

Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to his reply on the operation of the first home scheme; his views on whether the current county-by-county price ceilings are creating significant distortions in housing delivery, particularly where counties such as Tipperary … Dublin and Cork and a second ceiling for all other counties; the way in which such an approach could better support equitable private housing delivery and affordability across the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1455/26

Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of social housing tenants in Galway city and county experiencing housing maintenance issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4966/26

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the social housing income thresholds to ensure those in need of social housing support are not unfairly excluded. [4940/26

Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to clarify whether he accepts that current income eligibility and salary-bracket limits may be excluding many middle-income workers in Dublin from accessing cost-rental homes, despite their inability to afford market rents; the measures … rental caps and income thresholds in high-cost urban areas, including Dublin, to support the long-term delivery and financial sustainability of approved housing body-provided housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5068/26