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investment funds, happened under the Fine Gael and Labour Party Government that came into power in 2011. I came into the House in 2011 and I remember so well Michael Noonan saying it was necessary to restabilise the Irish property market. At the time some of us said … have been reading over some of the stuff and a huge amount of the property was in the Dublin area where the housing crisis is now concentrated. NAMA had the potential to build about 86,000 housing units. Some of us proposed at that time that

their contributions to this very important debate. I acknowledge that I could not be here earlier but I was meeting Oliver Bond House residents at the Custom House, which had been arranged before this Private Members' debate. Of course I will get the transcript and read back over … everything to have full knowledge of everything that has been said. I have previously acknowledged to the House that housing is the defining social and economic challenge of our time, which affects almost every family throughout the country. It has been my absolute focus since I became Minister

delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Programme for Government commits to continue and accelerate Social Housing regeneration schemes in Dublin, and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage continues and commits to support regeneration projects submitted by Dublin City Council … established inner-city flat complexes, and to ensure that they are to an acceptable standard; — DCC, through funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, are focused on eradicating any sub-standard conditions that have arisen in aging flat complexes, and this directly addresses the issues

introduction, their impact on the market and relevant stakeholders, the retention of landlords and attracting new investment; — the review of RPZs by the Housing Agency involved comprehensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including investors, representatives of landlord and tenant advocacy groups, academics and the Residential Tenancies … continues to show resilience; — Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, recognises that the rental market is an important element of a well-functioning housing system, it contains a suite of measures to support domestic and international investment in the delivery of new rental properties, in particular the supply

Decent housing is enshrined as a human right in Article 25 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It should also be enshrined in Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Irish Constitution. A referendum to that effect should be called immediately. The policy of successive Governments has been … well over 17,000 families who are now homeless, including well over 5,500 children. Thousands more are living in substandard council houses and flats all over the country. Housing rents, including council rents, have skyrocketed and are being further substantially increased by the new rents regime introduced

into the six years his party has been in government. We will go to the working, squeezed middle. We will take an average house as an example. If somebody wanted to buy or build a 2,000 sq. ft house, it would have cost of €240,000 plus … That meant that five or six years ago, that house cost of €272,406. Let us travel forward. Today, five or six years later, that same house costs €454,000, including VAT. The VAT to the Government has gone from €32,400 to €54,000. That

also known as tenancy in situ, is not a stand-alone programme or scheme. It is a priority category under the Department of housing's social housing second-hand acquisitions programme, which helps to prevent social housing supported households in the private rental sector from becoming homeless. Such … acquisitions are an option for local authorities to support households in the most precarious housing situations. They will continue to be available to local authorities for use as a last resort when all other options have been exhausted. However, they will never be the sole or even

they remain in as a result of no longer being in their apartments. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for housing and the Department of housing. The Deputy raised a number of very pertinent and urgent questions in his contribution and I certainly will … very much appreciates the distress experienced by the residents and the families affected by the fire. The role of the Department of housing is to ensure a framework of policy, legislation and funding is provided to ensure housing authorities are in a position to address homelessness

against the rule the Minister brought in a number of months ago from 1 March that people would have to rent their houses out for six years. The news that was coming drove many people out of the market. Since some time early last year, many people have … reason. I voted against that because I feel very strongly about democratic rights. I always believed that if someone owns a house, if they bought it, if they got it or if their name was on the deed of it, they were entitled to do what they wanted

colleagues who have done research and community work in those flats. I worked for many years as a community worker in the Dolphin House flats dealing with issues of mould and damp. One of the big motivations for me to get involved in politics was that people should … raise their families, and that does not make them sick and ill. We know in flat complexes across this city and in social housing across this country there are tenants living in homes making them and their children sick. It is wrong. It is a breach of this

living conditions faced by Dubliners in social housing flats built between the 1930s and 1960s are frankly unconscionable. I have heard stories from people who are desperate, who are enraged and who, increasingly, are resigned to the failure of this State to uphold their human rights … constituency of Dublin Bay South from people living in flats with mouldy walls, rotting woodwork and rat infestations in places like Pearse House and Markievicz House. The endless tick-tacking between central government and Dublin City Council on regeneration plans has left these residents exhausted and hopeless

analyse the figures and talk to people, population growth is a key area, but we also need to respond in terms of social housing, for example. We are building more houses in direct builds per annum now than since the foundation of the State. Last year, over … social houses alone were built. Ultimately, the provision of increased social housing is the best route to dealing with homelessness. No other way will sustainably deal with it. In addition to that, we are building a lot of affordable homes and giving a lot of support to people

Fine Gael have neglected Dublin city's and county's flat communities. I am talking about inner-city flat complexes like Pearse House, Oliver Bond House, St. Michan's House and Dolphin House but also suburban schemes like Cromcastle Court in Coolock and Balgaddy in my constituency. These … resilient communities that have been utterly failed by successive Governments. So bad were the failures that in 2014, residents from 20 council housing estates supported by the Community Action Network and others took the Irish Government to the European Committee of Social Rights. After listening

them for their work and advocacy and for shining a spotlight on this situation. Sometimes you just have to stand up in this House and admit that where we are is not where we need to be. This is one of those occasions. I have a load … people in this country. We had a good meeting of the Cabinet committee on disability a couple of weeks ago in respect of housing specifically. This was motivated by the campaign of the Before We Die group. At that meeting, a number of things were agreed. I acknowledge

stay for the debate. It shows the lack of interest the Government has in this issue. It shows a complete disrespect for the House and for the issues before us that not a single Minister in the Department of Health could stay here for what has been … debate of about an hour. They could not show that respect for the House. Not one Minister from the Department of Health could stay for a Bill on public health. The Government does not care about public health, and if anyone was in any doubt about that, tonight

only 18 to 19 years ago have not been fully understood. The shadow of the crash still looms; most notably in a dysfunctional housing and construction sector that still has not fully recovered. We see the impact of this every single day. There are more than … people homeless in what is now, objectively, a rich country. Annual housing targets are routinely unmet. Housing is out of the reach of far too many working class people. There is the smashing of the social contract that urgently needs to be pieced back together. NAMA, in terms

dodgy bankers and cowboy developers. We should also not forget that NAMA represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape our housing system for the benefit of ordinary people; an opportunity that was shamefully wasted. Cailleadh an deis seo. Bunchloch dhínit an duine is ea an tithíocht … result of the economic downturn. The consequence of the recession for these families who lost loved ones could not have been more severe. Houses and apartments should be looked at as homes and not as assets. Treating housing as an investment opportunity is what got us into

thabhairt faoi bhráid na Dála anocht. Molaim agus molann Páirtí an Lucht Oibre an rún seo. The most basic test of any housing system is really quite simple; it is whether ordinary people can access secure and decent housing. In this country, we have arrived at a situation … whereby the country is divided between haves and have-nots. The haves have property and secure housing and the have-nots do not. When the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, was sitting opposite me, he spoke about 762 eviction notices. He said that we were not to consider

partners are. They are living with me. I am a building contractor. For them to be able to afford to build their own house is not viable because of inflation. They are saving hard but as hard as they can save, inflation is passing out what they … save. Those are the people who want to build their own houses. We came on to the modular houses and we said to allow people to put in a modular unit at the back of their own house. It would allow the parents, if they wanted

policy and will lead to increased displacement of tenants, increased rents and increased homelessness; and — Government continues to miss their social and affordable housing targets, targets that were too low to begin with, too few private for purchase homes are being built or coming to the market; resolves … that: — Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's housing policy continues to make the housing crisis worse and in particular is failing renters; calls on Government to: — introduce an emergency ban on rent increases and no-fault evictions; — cut private rents by putting a full month's rent back

happening, and the situation continues to get worse. In Laois, rents are sky high. Notices to quit are up, homelessness is up, house purchase prices are up, and what the Government has done is given a charter to landlords and developers. The Government's changes in rent rules … sure others have had, traumatised and at their wit's end. It is worse for renters, the homeless and house buyers. On top of the sharp rent increases in the past decade in Laois, of course, we have another huge jump now. The rent for a four-bedroom

have been in the House for over ten years and in that ten years, the Government has got it wrong. That is the bottom line. It does not matter where it is; whether it is urban or rural, the Government has got it all wrong in relation … housing and the crisis has gone from bad to worse. I hear a lot of Opposition Members shouting and attacking developers. I would not be in that attacking mode at all about the people who build the houses in the first place because we would not have

housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, reinforces and expands the range of existing affordable housing measures being implemented by the Government. In particular, the plan provides for an unprecedented level of State funding in order to deliver an average of 15,000 starter home supports annually … represented a record year in terms of delivery of affordable homes. Through the various affordable supports now available under the Government's new housing plan, more than 17,000 financial supports were provided to help people secure their first home during 2025. Under the affordable housing fund, which

European Social Charter (Revised), which protects the right of the family to social, legal and economic protection, including the provision of adequate family housing; — despite valiant campaigning by residents, supported by the Community Action Network and the Communities of Practice, the conditions in these flat complexes have continued … plan is based on successful estate retrofit and regeneration, such as Killarney Court and the pilot project in Ballybough Court; — the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is refusing to fund the initial proposals for the retrofit and regeneration of these complexes in Pearse House and Oliver

people with different trades. They are valuable individuals, and they are leaving because they simply believe that they cannot buy or build a house for themselves. They say that if they were not working at all or working only part-time, they would qualify … local authority list and, eventually, get a social housing unit. In other words, they are telling us that there is no incentive for them to continue working in Ireland. I hope that the new planning Bill - there has been a lot of talk about it coming shortly

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Planning Policy Statements on short-term letting, rural housing, Gaeltacht housing, islands housing will be published. [37102/26

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority owned houses currently lying vacant in County Mayo; the reasons these properties remain idle; and the steps being taken to bring them back into use as social housing, particularly in light … ongoing homelessness and housing shortages. [35805/26

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average length of time council houses remain vacant before being reallocated; whether targets exist for bringing such houses back into use; and if specific action will be taken regarding vacant properties in Swinford, given … increasing number of people struggling to secure permanent housing. [35809/26

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether he is aware that his Department has excluded political staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas from accessing the 3% local bargaining fund under Building Momentum, despite the 2022 agreement which linked political staff to public service … agreements; whether he has been made aware that his Department and the Houses of the Oireachtas have been refusing to engage with a union (details supplied) in the WRC on this matter to date; whether he is aware that under the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if any local authorities requested additional funding for Housing Adaptation Grants so far in 2026; if he is aware that several local authorities have already closed applications for housing adaptation grants, citing their total funding … year had already been allocated; to provide a breakdown, by local authority, of Housing Adaptation Grant funding allocations for 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of grants approved and refused in each county; the way in which these allocations compare with population levels, including the population

Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 1694 of 14 April 2026, to clarify the details of the purchase made by Cork City Council of the counting house property using Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) funding … land included in this purchase; to clarify if URDF funding was used to pave on the private land in front of the counting house; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40948/26

Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to that the assistant chief executive of Dublin City Council informed the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage that Dublin City Council submit the results of housing maintenance

Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures he is taking to address the growing gap between wages and house prices, including the affordability gap facing first-time buyers and renters; and the further policy or legislative measures planned to improve … housing affordability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37221/26

Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount allocated to each local authority in 2024 and 2025 under the housing adaptation grant for older people and people with a disability, the mobility aids grant, and the housing aid for older people schemes

Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on funding for inner city regeneration projects; if he will acknowledge the need for housing regeneration to have a separate and distinct funding stream to housing delivery; and if he will make

Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total amount of public expenditure on Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and other rent supports paid directly to private landlords in each of the past five years; the proportion of these payments made to landlords owning … multiple properties; and whether he has assessed the long-term cost-effectiveness of this model compared to direct State provision of housing. [37554/26

Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 513 of 6 May 2026, if supports are available to a person who has already received approval for social housing but has been issued with a social housing income assessment

Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the assessment that has been undertaken regarding the balance between reliance on second-hand acquisitions as a last-resort measure and the delivery of newly built social housing; whether projected increases in social housing construction

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of five council owned houses in Swinford that have been lying vacant for approximately two years; the reasons refurbishment works have not yet been completed; and when these homes will be made … available to families on the housing list. [35806/26

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how he justifies council-owned houses remaining vacant for extended periods while families and individuals are forced to stay in homeless shelters and emergency accommodation; and the measures being introduced to prevent prolonged vacancy of local … authority housing stock. [35808/26

Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his Department's plan to address the housing needs of people with an intellectual disability who are cared for at home by parents and family members aged 70 and over; the plans in place to address … housing needs of these individuals when their carers pass away or can no longer care for them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35565/26

Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to advise if approved housing bodies that provide housing for tenants with specific needs, such as people with disabilities and those exiting homelessness, can access CALF and P and A funding streams; and if he will

Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to detail the funding provided to approved housing bodies that provide housing for tenants with disabilities through CALF and P and A funding streams for the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether local authorities, approved housing bodies and the Land Development Agency have been given to understand by his Department that they should not include green roofs in housing proposals. [34576/26

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the specific mechanisms being used by his Department to address the affordability of housing in the wider Dublin area, where housing is priced at a particularly high level; and if he will make

Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will introduce a mandatory amenity plan for local authorities to put on future housing developments to ensure recreational amenities are introduced alongside all new housing, as outlined in the Programme for Government

Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount allocated to each local authority in 2024 and 2025 under the housing adaptation grant for older people and people with a disability (HAG), the mobility aids grant (MAG), and the housing aid for older

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the annual housing delivery targets currently in place, broken down by tenure including private, social, affordable purchase and cost rental; the methodology used to determine these targets having regard to projected population growth and housing demand

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number and proportion of homes expected to be delivered annually under current policy that will be social housing, affordable purchase and cost rental; whether specific targets have been set for the share of such housing

Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if will urgently sanction additional funding to Sligo County Council to enable the reopening of the housing adaptation grant scheme to Priority 2 and 3 applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter