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quality homes for purchase and long-term rental is at the centre of the Government's housing policy and our housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The housing plan reinforces and expands the range of existing affordable housing measures being implemented by the Government. In particular … Roscommon, Cavan, Donegal and Tipperary have received approvals to deliver their first local authority starter purchase home schemes. The approvals support the commitment under the programme for Government, and action 7.5 in Delivering Homes, Building Communities, to work with local authorities to bring forward affordable housing fund proposals

housing options available to them, whether they want to buy or rent a house or are in need of social housing. Delivering Homes, Building Communities seeks to significantly accelerate delivery of new homes by focusing on activating land and creating the optimal environment to encourage housing activity, including … immediate focus and priority continue to be on the delivery of homes as set out in the programme for Government and the Delivering Homes, Building Communities plan. I assure Deputies that I have taken on board the comments raised in the debate. Delivering homes is of huge importance

Bill at this time, I welcome the opportunity to set out the Government’s position on this important issue. Our housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, 2025-2030, sets out that housing is a basic human right. The Deputy will be aware that almost one third … converting vacant and derelict buildings and unused above the shop areas into residential homes. All of these measures are designed to bring more of these buildings back into productive use and provide much-needed homes for people to live in their own communities. We will continue

years of age. Supporting individuals and families facing homelessness is a key Government priority. In November 2025, the Government published Delivering Homes, Building Communities: An Action Plan on Housing Supply and Targeting Homelessness. The plan includes a number of important measures to address the health needs of people … require the level of supports provided by Housing First but those who do are often the most vulnerable individuals in homeless services. Delivering Homes, Building Communities commits to creating 2,000 Housing First tenancies to help eliminate long-term homelessness. In order to ensure that appropriate arrangements

housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, aims to deliver 300,000 new homes in the period to 2030. This includes 72,000 social homes and 90,000 starter home supports. This means an average of 12,000 new social homes will be delivered every year … Supply alone is not enough. We also need to protect people in their existing homes. The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026, which came into effect on 1 March 2026, provides the strongest tenancy protections in the history of the State. The new Act introduced a new national

scheme is designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. It supports projects to bring derelict and vacant buildings and sites back into use as multi-purpose community spaces. Over €217 million has been allocated to almost 2,000 projects since the launch of the scheme … other national policies, including the national housing strategy, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, as well as the national planning framework, all of which have the aim of tackling vacancy and dereliction, achieving balanced regional development and building supporting local communities. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

both schemes had been a long-term objective since the abolition of the town council in 2014. The new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, commits to reviewing the rents paid by social housing tenants with a view to introducing a national scheme that provides an equitable system

local level. In the context of planning, this budget is about preparing for the future. If we are serious about building more homes, supporting economic growth and delivering critical infrastructure, we need a planning system that is properly resourced. That is why we are allocating €119 million … across this country. I look forward to working with all colleagues across local government and planning sections to deliver stronger and better services for our communities and build the homes and infrastructure that we need right across the country

spaces to meet today's needs. This regeneration must be about more than the appearance of a building. It should help create active streets, support local services and make our communities places where people feel they belong. We also recognise that successful implementation will be essential. Local authorities … improvements delivered to communities. The need for housing remains our greatest challenge as a country and a society, and every effort should be made to utilise the housing stock available. The housing challenge demands that we use every practical option available to us. Building new homes is essential

fund social housing delivery, including 11,250 new-build social homes; €225 million will be allocated to the housing infrastructure investment fund; under the starter homes programme, over €1 billion will be allocated to deliver thousands of starter homes through a range of affordability supports, alongside the help … technology needed to deliver more care digitally. Investment in public healthcare strengthens our communities and protects the most vulnerable in society. The same is true when it comes to security and defence. Protecting our communities and our State Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Everyone who lives

that, when homes for thousands of people's are delivered, which I look forward to, services for the residents will be delivered at the same pace? The people who have contacted my office are not opposed to housing. They are asking that we build sustainable communities

resource the LDA and councils to build the necessary homes. The problem is that people now lack trust in the Government's capacity to deliver homes. Its 2024 election campaign was predicated on a false premise. It delivered 10,000 fewer homes that year than it promised … struck in 2017 to provide 900 social and affordable homes. A decade on, we see the developer reneging on the commitment to deliver any affordable purchase homes, robbing local people of the chance to own their own home. To add insult to injury, Simon Coveney, the former housing

would fix the causes rather than paper over the symptoms. We would build homes that would be owned by the public and establish a public model of childcare and a community-based health service that employs its own staff. We would invest now to meet our climate targets … their fair share, and we would rebuild the capacity of the State to actually do things, because a state that cannot deliver is a state that will end up renting from someone who can, at a premium, forever. The tragedy of this budget is not a lack

vacancies, build sustainable capacity and improve co-ordination across hospital and community services. The Government will continue to build on the progress made in Tullamore and Mullingar with a clear focus on ensuring that investment delivers meaningful, lasting improvements for patients throughout Longford and Westmeath. I will bring … points raised by the Deputy back to the Minister. I have already spoken to the Deputy about delivery of home support hours for the people of Longford-Westmeath. It is something I have committed to working on with the HSE, the Deputy and his colleagues at local level

housing capacity across the country. The first round of housing infrastructure investment fund projects is expected to unlock lands capable of delivering tens of thousands of homes and this demonstrates clearly that investment in infrastructure is investment in housing supply. This is especially true of water infrastructure … implementation of reform. This budget reflects a Government determination to maintain the momentum that we have started to build. It provides resources to translate plans and targets into homes and infrastructure. The focus now must be on delivery. I look forward to working with colleagues across Government, local

expand the DEIS plus scheme. It will build on the existing DEIS policy framework by providing a targeted set of supports to schools with the highest concentration of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage. The home school community liaison scheme aims to improve education outcomes … delivering a further 1,617 teaching posts, including 810 additional posts at primary school level, including special schools, and an additional 807 teachers at post-primary level. Earlier this year at the teacher union conferences, I spoke about how Ireland's education system has delivered world-class outcomes

Taoiseach and Cabinet colleagues for these statements on budget 2027. The Government sees this budget as the next step in the trajectory of delivering on our programme for Government. It is a path to securing Ireland's future. It is a path that brings us to a place … public finances are invested in building the infrastructure and services that our country needs to thrive. It brings us to a place where everyone, regardless of circumstance, can get ahead and provide for themselves and their families, a place where we build homes, schools, healthcare facilities, childcare places

repercussions for oil prices and the knock-on impacts on prices across the board. Home Heating Costs In particular, as we come into winter, the increase in the price of home heating oil and natural gas represents a heavy burden for many families who have no easy alternatives … high costs. That is why housing has been this Government’s number one priority. This year we will spend over €9 billion building new homes. In total, funding for housing under this Government and its predecessor has nearly quadrupled. We all continue to work to do more. Rent

delivering the homes that people need is action across a complex range of issues including legal reform, training, infrastructure, tax and direct support. Brick by brick, we are putting in place a step change in home construction. It is still far too difficult to find a home … homes built. European Union figures state that Ireland is one of the few countries in Europe that is succeeding in increasing the rate of home building. We now have the fastest rate of home building across Europe. Within this, the number of new homes going to first-time

going to have an obligation to build or deliver a house for everyone. No one is saying that. Again, that is completely disingenuous. This would ensure that everyone has the right to access an adequate, affordable and secure home of a decent standard. It is about that need … dochar atá á dhéanamh. Our Gaeltacht communities are minority communities. They are all that remains of the large Irish-speaking population that existed in this State a century ago. A lack of housing provision is undermining the structure of Gaeltacht communities and jeopardising the long-term future

grounds that they might delay housing delivery. That is an argument, but we are supposed to be building communities as well as housing. These councillors trusted Government agencies to deliver the supporting infrastructure. Our appeals to An Bord Pleanála were ignored. The Government has now instructed South Dublin … school populations may be falling nationally but that is not what communities in Dublin West are experiencing with all the new housing. Especially at second level, parents are forced to send their children outside the community simply to obtain a school place. There remains a shortage of public

assistance after they leave maternity services and return home. An independent evaluation of the phase 1 postnatal hubs, published in 2025, provided strong evidence of the positive impact these services are having. The evaluation found that the hubs are delivering meaningful improvements in postnatal care and enhancing access … achieved in recent years demonstrates that sustained investment and co-ordinated action can deliver real change. However, that progress cannot be taken for granted. These services complement and support availability throughout maternity and community healthcare services. They help bridge the gap between clinical care

livelihoods. No one knows that like our fishing communities and our fishermen. Most people do not live in coastal communities but they have a grá for them. The Irish people would not want the decline of these communities. If we do not intervene now, we will lose … public transport services want an expanded network that meets the needs of rural Ireland. This budget delivers on none of those things. It deepens the transport deficit between rural and urban communities while making transport more expensive for all. A better Ireland is possible. There is a different

hospitals. We must invest in community care. There is a shortage of GPs, step-down facilities and home care. Some 100,000 bed days were lost due to delayed discharges last year. There are solutions to be found in investing in community services and, ultimately, we must reorient … health service away from acute services into the community and deliver Sláintecare in full, focusing on prevention and early intervention. Will the Minister provide the beds? Will she provide the staff? Will she commit in full to Sláintecare

which is six years after it got planning permission. This is not just a transport issue. If we are serious about building homes and new communities, which we have to and want to, then we have to have the infrastructure to support them. The same issue applies … country, whether it is housing, congestion, climate change, and so on. There are economic, environmental, and social costs associated with failing to urgently deliver on public transport projects. I will finish on a positive note. I commend the Minister on his progress so far in getting MetroLink over