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move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." On 19 May this year, the Government approved the publication of the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. This Bill is structured in three Parts, the two substantive elements being Part 2 and Part 3, which … deal with amendments to the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 around eligibility for social housing, and the second, Part 3, which introduces a number of technical amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. The publication of the Bill follows pre-legislative scrutiny by the Oireachtas committee on housing

thank the Minister of State. I thank the officials from the Department of housing for the two very detailed briefings they gave us on Monday and Tuesday and for the follow-on assistance they have given us to try to get our heads around this complex legislation … short time. The central proposition of this Bill is twofold. One is to take the existing eligibility rules for people to access social housing support and put them on a statutory basis, while the other is to provide an appeals mechanism for people refused social housing support, those

thank the Deputy for raising this important matter regarding the delivery of social and affordable housing in Arklow. I am answering on behalf of our colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne, and his Department. Affordability and the chance to own a home remain … heart of this Government's housing policy, as set out in our new national housing action plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025–2030. At the same time, we remain firmly committed to delivering the social housing needed to support individuals and families who require housing assistance

tentatively welcome but significant concerns remain that the legislation may make it increasingly difficult for those who should be entitled to access social housing to do so by increasing and complicating the criteria they have to meet. The Bill suggests an unreality in which the existing situation … onto the list, never mind the journey towards getting an allocation. Individuals in our society who urgently require the support of public housing and emergency accommodation must have clearer pathways to accessing those rights. They must not be presented with further hurdles and complications. The Minister has assured

there is a particular emergency accommodation she has concerns about because that should not be the case. In relation to the social housing provisions and residency requirements, these legislative reforms are building on existing policy and procedures which, in the first instance, define social housing as a long … term housing support and therefore successful applicants must be in a position to demonstrate that they have a long-term right to reside in the State, that is, their permission to reside here is not temporary or short term. These statutory provisions are founded on the Government

propose to take Questions Nos. 83, 106 and 169 together. I thank Deputy Neville for raising an important question on housing projects currently under construction in Kildare North and those expected to commence before the end of 2026. My Department publishes data on residential commencement notices in each … quarter 1 of 2026, conveying an increasingly stable pipeline. Increasing the supply of new homes is critical to alleviating pressures in the housing market, helping to moderate price growth and ease affordability challenges across the country, ensuring everyone has a range of housing options available to them, whether

NSAI, membership of this Committee included representatives of the concrete industry, Engineers Ireland, the Geological Survey Ireland, homeowner action groups, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Housing Agency; and — a new revised Standard, I.S. 465:2026, was recently published by the NSAI … research in the area, it entails quite significant changes from the previous Standard in that, under the new Standard, almost all houses with defective concrete blocks would be demolished, and furthermore, the Standard provides for the testing of the foundations of each house in case they

statutory footing what is already the practice in terms of eligibility criteria on residency and habitual residency for social housing. It is just technical and it is a tidying-up exercise, providing a little bit more efficiency for decisions of the RTB in the second instance. There … seen how it has then resulted in horrific attacks on people who happen to be immigrants and people of colour in the North. Houses are being burnt out and vile, vicious racist attacks are taking place against people purely on the basis that they are deemed

Minister of State is probably well aware of the significant concerns of a number of rights-based organisations working directly on housing on the front line, including the statutory body, IHREC, and others. I will outline what they have highlighted as some of the significant concerns about this … Bill. I was not a Deputy during the previous Dáil term when this legislation went to the housing committee. I am looking at it from the perspective of someone who is coming new to these particular proposals. Stepping back and looking at it, I have serious questions

welcome the Bill. As Chair of the housing committee, I am disappointed that some of the cross-party recommendations that were put forward by the committee have not been included in the Bill. The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026, which came in on 1 March of this … unlock all those tens of thousands of planning permissions for apartments that have not been built and ultimately provide new housing units. Deputy Stanley made a point with regard to that Bill. This is something I have said publicly as Chair of the committee as well

issue on the ground, and it has been brought to his attention. The programme for Government and the Government's new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, commit to maintaining the right of social housing tenants to purchase their home. The aim of the tenant incremental purchase scheme … ensure the balance is always right. That balance is between increasing the scope for those who are in receipt of long-term housing support to purchase their local authority home and doing it in a way that does not unduly diminish local authority housing stock. As Deputy Maxwell

thank the Deputy for bringing up this important issue. I do not know if Deputy Boland is here. The Government's new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, aims to deliver 300,000 new homes by the end of 2030, including 72,000 social homes … affordable housing supports by the end of 2030. To achieve this, the largest ever housing budget in the history of the State has been secured in 2026, with in excess of €9 billion in capital funding through the Exchequer, the Land Development Agency and the Housing Finance Agency

Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Limerick and other areas because I live in an area where we had the blight of pyrite. So many housing estates in our area were affected because the quarry was situated there. It did not regulate itself and there was a lack of Government regulation … number of homes affected by the defective blocks could rise to 20,000. That is up from the 9,500 mentioned at the housing committee last year. Only 435 houses built with defective concrete blocks, or 13% of the homes, have had remediation works and the State-funded

regime reaching €35 million, or up to 7% of a company’s global turnover. That is what we are discussing here. Yet, this House is being invited to waive through this legislation on the understanding that it is just a little bit of housekeeping. That is the Government … which has not yet been fully written. For that reason, and for that reason alone, to rush this Bill through should tell this House that for the reasons I have outlined we need to scrutinise this legislation far more closely, have far more time on this debate

point on Committee Stage that, with NAMA there was a massive lost opportunity in terms of what could have been delivered in affordable housing for people. NAMA took on 60,000 individual assets, sites, land banks that should and could have been used to create affordable housing … people of this country. That would have made a massive difference and would have meant we were not in the housing crisis that we are now. Instead, we saw land banks and in some cases housing almost completely finished and unfinished housing sold on at discount rates that

thank the Minister of State for taking this issue on behalf of the Minister for housing. Arklow is a fine coastal town with Viking heritage but for a long time, its infrastructural development had been held back because of the lack of wastewater capacity. In May of last … importance of such strategic infrastructure not just in terms of cleaning up the Avoca River and for environmental reasons, but critically to provide housing within the community of Arklow and south Wicklow. He pointed out that the wastewater treatment plant could end up supporting a population

homes in circumstances where its own technical standard accepts the science is not fully developed in certain foundation cases. These decisions determine remediation, housing security and the level of uncertainty families are left carrying for decades. At the centre of this is a simple question. When the science … complete and the State must still act, who carries what remains unresolved? Is it the State or the homeowner? I should inform the House that I am directly affected by this matter and I deal with it every day. I am living with a defective concrete crisis

Government may be shocked to realise this but the evidence presented was very strong. The latest scientific evidence is that 20,000 houses in estates in Donegal, Mayo, Clare and Limerick are affected. That does not include one-off housing, which we know there … those counties, social housing, business premises or community buildings. We also know that defective concrete is not confined to those four counties and that it is a problem in other counties as well but we do not have sight of the sort of numbers that would be involved

shall continue in operation for the period beginning on 30th June, 2026 and ending on 29th June, 2027. The two motions before the House seek the approval of Dáil Éireann to continue in force provisions in the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and the Criminal Justice … Amendment) Act 2009 aimed at combating terrorism and organised crime. Given the nature of these important provisions, the Houses of the Oireachtas have decided that they should be periodically reviewed. The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration is required to lay reports before the Oireachtas

Will the Government consider amending the incremental tenant purchase scheme 2016 to allow houses acquired under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 to be made eligible for purchase under this scheme? I want to highlight today the unfairness for some tenants with the ongoing injustice … within our local authority housing system. The incremental tenant purchase scheme was launched to give long-term social housing tenants a fair path towards owning their own home. It builds generational wealth, it stabilises neighbourhoods and it rewards hard-working families. Today, however, thousands of families around

thank the Deputy for the question. It is good to see some focus on housing delivery in the rebel county. Increasing the supply of new homes is critical to alleviating pressures in the housing market, helping to moderate price growth and ease affordability challenges, ensuring everyone … range of housing options available to them, whether they want to buy a house, rent one or are in need of social housing. Data on new dwelling completions are published by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, on a quarterly basis. CSO data show overall housing delivery in Cork

thank Deputy Doherty for his question and I thank the Oireachtas committee on housing for its work. The committee report published this morning makes 14 recommendations. Of course, we will work our way through the report and consider all of the recommendations, as we do with all committee … committee recommends that the best interests of the child must be a key priority in addressing homelessness, and I believe everyone across the House can agree on that. We agree and that is why legislation is being brought forward to amend the Housing Act 1988 to ensure that

thank Deputy Stanley. Firstly can I say, because fair is fair, that Laois is a good performer when it comes to housing. I have my sheet here. There is nowhere to hide here, by the way. The data is there. It shows who is doing a good … dereliction. I think there were 13 derelict sites levied during the year 2024. Laois has performed pretty well when it comes to housing delivery. It has done very well on the housing delivery targets and in relation to zoning. I acknowledge that and I thank the county council

street, waved a flag or came out to just see the occasion deserves a big buladh bos. Today, I want to talk about housing. I welcome yesterday's announcement that a project on the Lodge Road in Westport was one of 82 successful under the new housing infrastructure … investment fund. This has the potential to unlock 200 houses on local authority land and potentially 300 more. I thank my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins, whom I see in the Chamber. I want to talk today about the thresholds for social housing

dealing with some incredibly important Bills that will have implications for years to come, and that is his inability to engage with the Houses of the Oireachtas regarding EU matters in a timely manner. I have lost count of the number of times that a Minister from … Department highlights the particular urgency and lists 23 June, less than a week from now, as the deadline. That is the timeframe the Houses have to consider it. The Minister might consider me to be naive but I would have thought that the purpose of debates in this

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number and locations of housing schemes and the number of housing units that have been approved using the single stage approval process for social housing and affordable housing projects since the single stage process

Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the policy of his Department is to require former co-habiting couples to provide legal separation documents to a housing authority in order for one of the couple to be considered for social housing … housing assistance payment; his views on whether such a policy places an extraordinary burden on individuals in this situation in legal expenses and delayed application time; if he will review this process in order make it simpler and less expensive, by requiring a statutory declaration signed

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the criteria used by his Department, and by any Government housing support schemes under its remit, to determine whether a dwelling is classified as a modular home or modular housing unit; whether homes constructed using modern … methods of construction that incorporate traditional brick and mortar elements may be eligible for schemes or measures intended to support modular housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48022/26

Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if local authority owned social housing is subject to the same minimum standards and independent inspection regime as private rented dwellings under the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019; and if he will make

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people with physical impairments currently on housing waiting lists in emergency accommodation or living in inappropriate or institutional settings; the steps being taken to increase the availability of accessible housing … will ensure that housing policy aligns with the State’s commitment to independent living under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including reducing reliance on institutional care settings for adults under 65. [43380/26

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on whether that in cases in which a person is on the housing list in one local authority area, but in rented accommodation in an adjacent area, and is threatened with homelessness, that … other homelessness prevention measures; and his further views on whether it should be the local authority where the person is on the housing list, or the local authority where the person is resident, that takes responsibility for homelessness prevention measures such as tenant-in-situ. [49084/26

Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason Part V housing tenants are precluded from purchasing the houses they are renting but could have the option to do so in 100% council estates; whether he acknowledges the inequity; and if he will

Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an increase in Part V housing stock to be available for affordable housing schemes in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47988/26

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for delivering affordable housing in villages and rural communities in County Waterford such as An Rinn, Ardmore, Lismore, and Bonmahon, that are experiencing pronounced housing pressures and demographic cliff edges, if not addressed

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress being made on the new National Planning Statement on Rural Housing; the measures being considered to ensure that young people and families with genuine local connections can build homes in their own communities; when … revised rural housing policy will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48111/26

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will engage with the Minister for Rural, Community Development and the Gaeltacht to examine additional housing supports and measures to assist individuals and families who wish to buy, build or continue living in Gaeltacht … communities; the steps being taken to ensure housing policy supports the long-term sustainability of Gaeltacht areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48112/26

Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will create a fund similar to the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund to unlock development lands in unfinished housing estates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48223/26

Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he is taking to address the housing needs of over 55s who wish to right size into social and affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48052/26

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has assessed the current unmet demand for purpose built and adapted housing for persons with disabilities; whether he is satisfied that the level of delivery currently being achieved by local authorities and approved … housing bodies is sufficient to meet identified need; the additional measures being considered to increase delivery where demand exceeds supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48278/26

Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in view of the proposed review of rural housing planning policies, if he will review planning restrictions affecting applicants seeking permission for one-off housing developments along the N56 in County Donegal; and if he will

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, in light of the fact that all downgrade appeals heard to date have resulted in the Housing Agency's decisions being annulled, he will direct that cases returned to the Housing Agency

Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing developments specifically designed for older people delivered in each local authority area, including age friendly, right sizing, and supported housing schemes, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the overall funding provided for DPGs, both social housing and private housing, in 2024 and 2025 respectively. [47265/26

Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average all-in cost of delivering a new-build social housing unit in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively, by a one-bedroom apartment, two-bedroom apartment, three-bedroom house; the breakdown

Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the proposed review of rural housing planning policies will include a review of planning restrictions affecting applicants seeking permission for one-off housing developments along the N56 in County Donegal; and if he will make

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of funding provided under Traveller accommodation programmes, including Traveller housing grants, to Mayo County Council over the past five years and to date in 2026; the proportion of that funding drawn down and spent … number of Traveller-specific housing units delivered, refurbished or upgraded over that period; the current targets set under the Traveller Accommodation Programme; and the projected delivery of additional Traveller accommodation units in County Mayo over the next three to five years. [45550/26

Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement undertaken with approved housing bodies and other social housing providers in relation to the operation of the DION system; the number of complaints or formal representations received; the actions taken in response

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the income thresholds applied under the social housing assessment bands, specifically the disparity between Mayo band 3 and Galway band 2, in light of evidence that Mayo band 3 thresholds are significantly … lower; and if he will take steps to ensure greater consistency, fairness, and responsiveness to local housing need across county boundaries. [41585/26

Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider increasing the social housing income threshold to reflect the real cost of living and housing crisis in Ireland today (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41723/26

Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the guidance given to local authorities and AHBs regarding rent setting for social housing; if there is any guidance regarding service charges in social housing; and if he will make a statement