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Browne, who unfortunately is not here today. Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy, as embodied in the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The Government is continuing to invest an unprecedented level of funding … support housing delivery, which will underpin the new starter homes programme, delivering an average of 15,000 starter home supports annually to 2030. In terms of starter home delivery, over 22,000 starter home supports have been delivered since the launch of the previous housing plan, Housing

here and asked me to take this on his behalf. Tenancy sustainment, which includes the purchase of private homes where a social housing tenant is in situ, is not a stand-alone programme or scheme. However, it is a priority category of the Department of housing’s social … housing second-hand acquisitions programme, which helps prevent social housing-supported households in the private rental sector from becoming homeless, as the Deputy said. Tenancy sustainment, or tenant in situ, is an option for local authorities to support households who are in the most precarious housing situations. Such

that while the nexus of the DCB issue is concentrated in the north west of the country, it also affects, unfortunately, numbers of houses in other parts of Ireland. Wherever it does, the Government stands ready to offer financial assistance to help people fix their homes and help … established mechanisms. This statutory designation process can commence following a request by a local authority, or by me as the Minister, to the Housing Agency. The Housing Agency then conducts technical testing of dwellings in each local authority administrative area. As soon as practicable after the completion

point. Its objective is to accelerate the provision of infrastructure in energy, transport, water and other sectors to get more housing built, make progress towards our climate objectives and support the continued social and economic development of our nation. Its rapid development and progression serve as a tangible … equivalent to a 25% to 30% deficit in capital stock compared to our peers. What this means in practical terms is not enough housing to provide accommodation for our people, it means not enough renewable electricity to reach our climate targets and it means more time spent

energy, transport and water sectors as a priority. This infrastructure is necessary to underpin all other development in the State from housing, which is the most important infrastructure we need, to other economic and social investments. A recent Government circular established a mandatory cross-government process … programmes as critical infrastructure by order to be laid before Dáil Éireann, meaning every specific project will have to be laid before this House and if a resolution annulling the order is passed within the next 21 sitting days, the order shall be annulled. There will, therefore

since it was first discussed, which is creating a massive amount of confusion. I have heard of cases whereby, incredibly, one semi-detached house may qualify and the one next to it may not. What type of a mess is that? Likewise, I have heard of cases where … payments should not be late. There should be no excuses in that regard. The idea that there is still no scheme for social housing is a matter of deep concern. There are social houses in Mayo that, as everyone knows, were built using defective concrete blocks. There

when the national development plan doubled down on urban concentration and left rural communities fighting for basic investment? Where was the Minister when housing policies stalled again and again and rural housing delivery was effectively frozen in large parts of the country, an Ghaeltacht san áireamh? Where … delivered. That reflects a wider problem as far as I am concerned. The programme for Government, national planning framework, national development plan and housing plan are not aligned with the stated ambition of the consultation, the last strategy or indeed the Minister's strategy of supporting rural Ireland

welcome this discussion on rural policy. The biggest issues relate to housing and services in rural areas. Often, people in rural areas do not have anything. Sustainable housing is the key in this regard. For that type of housing, we need infrastructure. Those engaged in agriculture, forestry … other rural employment must continue to be allowed to build one-off houses on family land or in appropriate locations. There also needs to be housing for a whole lot of people and their families who live in rural areas and who are engaged in other activities

second most densely populated in the country should have rural transport which links from east to west. We have also spoken about housing. I concur with most of my colleagues on rural housing. We have been restrictive about facilitating families, in many cases, to live in the communities … have. They grew up and wanted to continue to live in Togher parish but were denied by restrictive policies in regard to rural housing. We must re-address that. It is not just about creating a community that will continue and thrive into the future; it is also

Deputy looks at the world through one prism when it comes to housing; we look at it through another. In my vision for young people, housing is number one and it means a relentless focus on supply. The Social Democrats have opposed all supply measures in this House … really focus on what matters. The Deputy talks about legacy. When the previous Government was formed in 2020, direct social housing builds were in the low thousands. Last year, in 2025, we built 9,000 social homes, the highest on record since the State was founded. While

Portlaoise, which has been targeted for a lot of that growth, needs a new primary school, which Ministers have told me in the House we do not need, despite the fact that hundreds of children are being bussed all over the county to school because there … Laois. We could do with all eight in Laois and we would have just about enough. On wastewater facilities, I outlined in the House a few months ago that a number of towns and villages need wastewater and water treatment facilities and for water supply to be accelerated

Fair play to Deputy Ó Murchú. He always gets a lot in during the few minutes. I thank all Members of the House for their contributions to this evening's debate. We look forward to further engagement on the Bill as it progresses to Committee Stage … infrastructure. I have set out why radical change is necessary. We have a persistent infrastructure deficit, the consequences of which we in this House have to deal with and which are articulated by Members daily. Without radical reform we simply will not close the gap, leaving our people

trouble. All of these things need more people, and to have them we need more people living in rural areas, and that means housing in rural areas. Housing is the key thing we need to look at. If we do not put practices in place … these places there are no towns and we are talking about one-off rural housing - to allow people to come and live in their community then we have serious problems. Last week, the Government brought in a notion it was going to allow people to build a little

Ireland. I will start with one close to my heart, that of rural planning. This is an important component of dealing with the housing challenge. I have worked through four county development plans in Wicklow and made many changes to help with rural planning. There are currently many … another. This is especially important for elderly people who live in unsuitable accommodation. Third, we need to identify hamlets to allow clustering of houses in rural areas and broaden the qualification for building in hamlets to include nearby villages and towns. Fourth, housing need criteria should

Under the helm of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, critical deficits have opened across almost all sectors from transport to housing, water, energy infrastructure, healthcare and our digital systems. Successive Governments have allowed dangerous gaps to open between the Ireland this Government claims we are and our critical … lost productivity and a daily tax on people's lives, especially those who have no alternative but to commute for long distances because housing is unaffordable near to where the jobs are. This brings me to housing, which in itself is a form of critical infrastructure. Fianna Fáil

aims to make processes efficient. I did pre-legislative scrutiny in the previous Dáil when it needed to be done quickly on the housing committee and it was done in a matter of a couple of weeks. We were able to do it quickly and efficiently. The Government … ability. I do not buy that, to be frank. Deputy Fleming said that the designations the Minister makes will be laid before the House and there will be an opportunity to debate them in the House. That is technically correct but it is a bit of stretch because

real apprehension out there with regard to what is happening. We have 3,000 people caught in a scheme, and 300-plus houses completed and 300 more to come. At the rate we are going, it will take decades to rebuild the 3,000 houses. The real number … affected materials that came from a certain quarry. The damage threshold might not come through yet, but people are living in houses with plastered up walls that only contain sand. There are no blocks there any more. The reality is that to this day there is no proper

spread rumours saying the Government is going to do this and that. Let us get the background to this. Everyone in this House was agreed that housing was the number one priority, or at least I thought it was the number one priority, facing this Dáil … commencement. The objective in terms of the short-term lets legislation is actually to get more houses back into the rental market. The policy decision we have taken, of which the Deputy is well aware, is that it relates to towns over 20,000, so that excludes straight

workers benefit from - families and people generally. It is investment in education, health, childcare and right across the board but most critically in housing. Housing remains the number one issue facing our country. We put unprecedented investment into housing so that young working people could benefit from significant … help to buy scheme, the first home scheme and the rental tax credit. We introduced a significant range of supports to increase housing supply so that young people could be in a position to buy and rent houses they could afford. We will continue to relentlessly pursue

That is why the work with utilities to build that enabling infrastructure is absolutely critical. There will be wider co-ordination with the housing activation office, which is working on this at a local level, for example, in Offaly. What are the opportunities to advance housing supply … growth at a local level? Where is there particular road or water infrastructure or a need from an energy perspective to advance housing supply? That work is happening with the housing activation office. What we are doing in my Department is with the utilities at a national level

that based on our experience the biggest threat to the Irish economic model was not the return of Donald Trump to the White House but the re-election of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. I am pleased to see, however, that there is at least a new impetus … delivered, the bridges that are never built, the renewable energy resources that were promised and have yet to materialise, and the houses that will not be completed because the necessary water systems are not there. An infrastructure deficit is, more than anything else, what holds people back from

introduction of a register of all short-term lets in Ireland. That will be accompanied by a planning statement from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne, governing that entire framework. That will broadly restrict the approval of new planning permissions for short-term lets … figure of 20,000. We think it is a reasonable balance. If we can get the short-term lets back to housing in the cities and the large towns, that will be a good day's work. It is not simple either, in terms of planning laws

have constantly raised the issue of side-by-side rebuilding under the defective concrete scheme through amendments, a motion in the House and parliamentary questions. This is happening in people's homes right now. For many families, side-by-side building is the only workable way to rebuild … dealing with a family in Carrowkeel who have a child who is severely disabled. They are currently dealing with electrical issues with their house because it is structurally unsound and is moving. That child, who will be 18 next week, is on an air mattress and when

coming to an end in relation to the development of Our Rural Future, the new national development policy. I will provide the House with an update on what we have delivered under the policy over the past five years but I also want to hear, as we finalise … outdoor recreational plans for counties Sligo and Mayo over the past weekend. In 2022, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, launched the town centre first policy. The town centre first approach is now being implemented in rural towns and villages

economic development, town and village regeneration, inclusivity and protection of our natural and built heritage in rural communities. Rural Ireland needs services, infrastructure, housing, transport and the renovation and repurposing of long vacant and derelict buildings - in short, serious investment in the everyday foundations of a decent quality … natural heritage. There is a false and divisive narrative in some of our public debate on rural Ireland. Some people, including in this House, seek to appropriate rural Ireland as an identity, restrict who is allowed to belong within that identity and portray anyone who cares about

Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the growing number of older persons who are experiencing significant anxiety and uncertainty regarding housing following marital separation or divorce (details supplied); the supports and options available to individuals in these … circumstances; if persons in this position are eligible to apply for social housing or be placed on the housing list; the criteria applied in assessing such applications; and if there are specific schemes, supports, or interim measures available to assist older individuals who find themselves unable to secure

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the Housing Activation Office has assessed the impact on water and wastewater infrastructure availability for new housing in the greater Dublin area arising from the Passenger Capacity Bill 2026 which, according to evidence given … determined solely by airline demand with no departmental target or upper limit; whether he is satisfied that the infrastructure unlocked by the Housing Activation Office's €1 billion fund will not be consumed by airport expansion that has undergone no strategic environmental assessment; and if he will make

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people with a disability who have been housed in each local authority in each of the years 2020 to 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of disabled applicants currently on each … local authority housing list, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31668/26

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new Traveller-specific housing units delivered in each year from 2019 to 2025, with a breakdown for each year by new group housing, major refurbs, new halting site bays, major refurbs

Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that Louth County Council has been required to pause the general acceptance of Housing Adaptation Grants, Mobility Aid Grants and Housing for Older Persons Grants in 2026 due to the level

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total amounts based on current or latest data, of rent arrears owed by social housing tenants in each local authority area; the number of social housing households that the corresponding rent arrears relate

Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the proposed rural housing guidelines; whether consideration is being given to allowing non-farming families to apply for permission for an additional dwelling on their family land, by reasons of close … family ties to an area, increasing the current provision from one to two houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30135/26

Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 1127 of 8 September 2025, the outcome of his Departments examination of the report which was commissioned by the Housing Agency to develop options for the revised or new social housing

Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the housing options available to individuals who have been refused admission to their local authority housing list as their income puts them over the threshold, who have been renting long term but must vacate their current

Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage to detail the communication his Department has had with local authorities and approved housing bodies regarding changes to the codes of conduct for local authority and approved housing body tenancies allowing tenants to have pets

Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage his views on whether it is reasonable to expect a person whose income is below the social housing eligibility threshold to pay for accommodation in a hotel or hostel while they are homeless; if there … legislative basis for a local authority to refuse homeless services to a person based on their employment status if they qualify for social housing support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28823/26

Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on plans to introduce a passport for social housing tenants and applicants who have experienced domestic abuse in order that they can seek support immediately from a new local authority if they … need to move for safety reasons and can keep their years on the housing waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28976/26

Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding schemes that are available to approved housing bodies that wish to carry out large-scale conversion projects bringing vacant offices or commercial buildings into residential social housing use; and if he will make

Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of approved housing bodies that have successfully developed social housing through CALF in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28117/26

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Transport whether the Housing Activation Office or anybody with responsibility for housing delivery was consulted during the preparation of the Passenger Capacity Bill 2026 given that the DAA confirmed to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport on 24 March … supply, wastewater treatment, and surface water drainage infrastructure in the Greater Dublin area, which Uisce Éireann has identified as capacity-constrained for new housing connections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25699/26

Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will re-evaluate the situation in which those who inherit their family homes should have their spouses income disregarded upon application for housing aid for older people grant under the housing adaptation grants

Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of supported housing units in east Cork; and the number of supported housing units that are planned. [24942/26

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline for commencement and completion of the social housing schemes funded by his Department that were to be included in bundles 4 to 7 of the PPP social housing scheme and the details

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the social housing benchmarking exercise used in bundles 1, 2 and 3 of the PPP social housing scheme. [25551/26

Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the obligations of owners who purchased affordable housing from local authorities before the Affordable Housing Act 2021 and subsequently rented these properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25696/26

Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of capital funding streams, including CAS funding, for disability housing projects in County Wicklow; whether additional supports will be made available to approved housing bodies supporting people with disabilities; and if he will make

Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the detailed spending breakdown for 2024 and 2025 on the Supported Housing for Youth programme; the breakdown of cost for each element of crisis intervention, aftercare, and Housing First for Youth, in tabular form

Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to the Housing Delivery Action Plan, the proportion of social housing delivery targets required to be met through the use of ‘Modern Methods of Construction’; and if he will make a statement

adults with intellectual disabilities over the age of 18 and for ringfenced funding with dedicated capital for small-scale, community based supported housing; to establish a joint taskforce of the HSE and Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with statutory timelines for delivery; and to ensure … commitment to transparency including the annual publication of data regarding unmet housing needs versus new units delivered; and a legislative review of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 and the Congregated Settings policy. [25886/26

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of filled and unfilled places in supported housing units in Mayo for adults living with intellectual disabilities; the number of these spaces currently unfilled; the number of adults with an intellectual disability … Mayo that are on a waiting list for a space in a supported housing unit; if there are any plans to increase the capacity of supported housing units in Mayo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26098/26