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Dara hUair anois." I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The starting point of this Bill is that the housing crisis is a complete and utter catastrophe, and we need something to radically change. Over two years ago, the Housing Commission, an official body … Government, recommended that a right to housing should be inserted in the Constitution. Since then, the coalition of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has let that recommendation gather dust on the shelf, all the while ramming through rental reforms that benefit large investor landlords. Today, I move

will start by thanking Deputy Hearne for bringing forward this Bill to amend the Constitution to include a right to housing. While the Government cannot support the 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 of all our National Development Plan, NDP, funding is going towards housing and water infrastructure. It is important to remember that kind

debate. We have had a good discussion. Time and again, Ministers do not engage with the substance of the debate in the House and do not stay to respond to the points made by the Opposition. Far too often, it feels like we are shouting into a void … listening or responding to the key issues we put before them. It was remarkable to hear the Minister talk down public investment in housing the week before a budget. He talked about the State not being able to provide all the housing the country needs. We need

believes these arguments about distraction and that it might “delay delivery ... by creating uncertainty in the market”. The idea that a right to housing would create uncertainty in the market is nonsense. Did the Government ask the institutional investors for their response to this Bill and this … This is not serious. As Deputy Gibney said, it is disingenuous. It is not a serious engagement with this Bill, the work the Housing Commission put in, the work of the original convention in 2014, as Deputy Ó Broin pointed out, or with the work

going to support it. Deputy Ó Broin had similar Bills in the previous Dáil. I had a Bill on the right to housing in 2021 that amazingly passed. I think that was a mistake - the Government forgot to call a vote, so we got the right to housing … referendum Bill passed. Of course, nothing was done about it and the housing situation has continued to get worse. The number of people in homeless and emergency accommodation has worsened steadily. At that stage when the Bill was passed, it was probably below 10,000 and since then

here to speak in support of this Bill. At the outset in his speech, the Minister mentioned Spain and the housing crisis that is raging across Spain at the moment. It is important to note for context that there is such a terrible housing crisis in Spain because … when Spain transitioned from Francoism to democracy, the social housing stock in Spain was between 1% and about 3%. There was a Francoist system of housing which transitioned into democracy. There were the 1990s and 2000s, an awful lot of property speculation and a property boom. Even though

where we are as a society and where our priorities are as a society. For me, the idea that we do not have housing enshrined in our Constitution as a fundamental right is a problem because we can see all around us on a daily basis … will continue throughout 2026" - do not match with what we can all see clearly with our eyes, which is that this is a housing emergency that has dominated our society for decades now and is affecting every single person in our country. It is not only about

sense of déjà vu. For 12 years, the Oireachtas and the wider public have been debating the need for a constitutionalised right to housing. In fact, so exercised was the then Government about the matter that, in 2013, it asked the then Convention on the Constitution to deliberate … only have we seen the most dramatic increase in adult and child homelessness in the modern history of the State, but rents and house prices have reached levels that are so unaffordable that even people on very good incomes have no reasonable prospect of affording a home. Fianna

Questions Nos. 101 and 102 together. I thank Deputy Stanley for his questions on the increase in the number of affordable-to-buy housing units provided by local authorities, and plans to increase the number of cost-rental units that will be provided in schemes by local authorities … well. Providing affordable and high-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

welcome the opportunity to address the House on budget 2027 and the unprecedented investment this Government is making through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This budget provides my Vote group with a record funding allocation of €11.9 billion reflecting the priority this Government places … housing delivery and related infrastructure development. The allocation will also fund vital expenditure in the areas of local government, Met Éireann and heritage, as well as in Tailte Éireann and An Coimisiún Toghcháin, which are important elements of my Department's Vote group. Housing remains the Government

with the big lists that he gave? Regarding the lists that the Minister gave, none of them give a constitutional right to housing to people who should be entitled to it. The Minister is his failing in his duty because right now in Cork and Kerry there … Commitments were made before the previous election. Typical Fianna Fáil promised that there would be a referendum. I was on the previous housing committee where Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael members spoke about having a constitutional right to housing and to a family having a home. Now, they

thank Deputy Toole for her important question about housing supports for persons with additional needs and disabilities. The housing assistance payment scheme is a social housing support, so an assessment of housing needs must be completed in order to qualify for HAP. Any household with an identified housing … need is eligible for HAP. For housing assistance to be provided, the housing authority must be satisfied that the tenancy is or would be a tenancy in good faith. Where there is a family relationship between the tenant and the landlord, the housing authority may seek evidence

strike, it should be the private sector workers as well. I say exactly the same to those who are affected by the housing crisis. The tens and tens of thousands who are affected by the housing crisis in this country should get their placards ready the way they … Spain and France at the moment because there is less than nothing in terms of the housing crisis in this budget. The renters' tax credit increased by €150, which amounts to a 15% increase. The problem is that rents went up by at least 20%. In reality

This should have been a budget of hope for housing and hope for our young people that they can have a future here, that they can buy a home and that they can rent securely and affordably. However, the budget, just like the Government's housing plan … coherent strategy and no vision that can solve the housing catastrophe. The budget will just deliver higher house prices, higher rents and higher homelessness. It continues what the Government has always done, which is what the developers and the investor funds lobby it to do. Who will

thank Deputy Hearne and all the Deputies who spoke so genuinely and eloquently about housing and the challenges that are facing us. I reaffirm the Government's commitment to tackling the housing crisis. We know that these challenges are having a real impact on people's lives … remain focused on increasing delivery. Enshrining a right to housing in the Constitution is not necessary to solve this crisis. To hold a referendum on this now would simply create a distraction from the real work of scaling up the supply of new housing. It is simply unrealistic

units in Dundrum. She was at the event last week. It is a real demonstration of momentum in house building and of the role of the Land Development Agency. I do not believe we need two national building agencies. We have the LDA. We do not need … national construction agency alongside it, which the Deputy seems to be proposing. I will make a point on social housing because I have heard a lot of commentary. Even this morning, somebody said that only 9,000 were built last year. Since 2020, close to 60,000 social

thank the Deputy for raising this important issue concerning the housing needs of foster families and the manner in which those needs are considered by housing authorities. At the outset, I acknowledge the invaluable contribution made by foster carers throughout the country. Foster families provide safe, stable … first hand the commitment of foster families across the country. The allocation of dwellings and their suitability for households deemed eligible for social housing support are matters for individual local authorities. Neither I nor the Minister, Deputy Browne, has any role in such matters. Local authorities allocate dwellings

Introduction It gives me great pleasure to join with the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and the Government in presenting budget 2027 to this House. Today's budget is the second in this Government's term. No one budget can achieve all the things that a government wants … will continue to run budgetary surpluses for the remainder of this Government’s term in office. Today, I am informing this House that we are reinforcing this Government’s commitment to the Future Ireland Fund by investing an extra €1 billion into the fund next year. This will

apprentices will build the housing we need. Housing is the biggest social crisis facing our society today. Tens of thousands of working people are unable to put a roof over their heads. Tens of thousands of families are paying rip off rents and sky-high mortgages. Tens … thousands of people are languishing on council housing waiting lists and 17,885 people, including 5,830 children trapped in emergency homeless accommodation. There is an entire generation locked out of affordable homes, trapped in their parents' box bedroom or forced to emigrate. Nowhere is this Government

rent-a-room relief will, in fact, cost students the same in rent increases. A help-to-buy top-up will only drive house prices higher for developers. As electricity prices soar, hundreds of thousands of customers are in arrears. The Government could spend €100 million a month … mother who will still not qualify for the carer's allowance because of arbitrary income thresholds. Time and again, I have reminded the House that the Ireland of 2026 is a rich country, but it is a country that is poor in many ways. We are a country

Help to buy is a demand-side subsidy. What we are seeing is the Government chasing rising housing prices. The facts are very clear, because undoubtedly people need support in relation to housing. The vast majority of young people I know the length and breadth of this country … Government is doing is putting in place a subsidy and maintaining a subsidy that clearly does not work and that is driving up house prices. The facts are clear: last year, on average, house prices increased by €25,000. The year before they increased by €25,000. That

billion committed through the national development plan into real projects - the water, energy and transport infrastructure we need to deliver more housing and tackle homelessness. Next year, I am allocating €20.3 billion for capital investment, an increase of €1.1 billion on 2026. Transport A key focus of this … enable up to 120,000 more homes to be built. Climate, Energy and Environment Investing in our energy infrastructure is also key to housing delivery. Secure, sustainable and affordable sources of energy have never been more important for our country, and to support progress on our ambitions

particularly outrageous that the Government is chasing ever-increasing house prices and, indeed, encouraging ever-increasing house prices with public money when that money could be used in the context of actual measures to deliver affordable housing. As I said earlier and as was just alluded to, this … contrasts sharply with what has happened with the starter home scheme in the budget whereby the Government has cut the allocation for affordable housing in that regard by €200 million. Given that the Government is driving up prices, if we think about the starter home scheme

have serious concerns that this measure will further inflate house prices. It is not just us in the Social Democrats that are saying it; the ESRI in previous research and also the Central Bank highlighted that schemes like help to buy have an inflationary impact on the housing … market. When we look at six years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael budgets and housing policy, what has happened to house prices? The median house price in 2020 was €250,000. It is now €396,000. Six years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have added

Minister saw the good-quality houses in Dargan Woods. The council exceeded the Government's target by nearly 250%. The Government needs to increase its targets for both affordable and cost-rental housing. There have been a huge number of inquiries. Cost rental is the only option … have broken relationships or be separated. They cannot get a loan due to their age and do not qualify for a council house because of their income. Low-paid workers in their 20s, 30s and 40s who are above the limit but are unable to get a mortgage

Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of European Union and European investment bank financing which is planned, targeted or anticipated to support housing and housing-related infrastructure in Ireland for each year from 2026 to 2030, broken down by region … where available, in tabular form; and the measures being taken to maximise the use of such financing under relevant EU affordable housing initiatives. [73647/26

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which his Department and the Housing Activation Office are ensuring that significant housing and population growth in Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk is matched by the timely provision of supporting infrastructure, including schools … childcare, public transport, water and wastewater infrastructure and primary healthcare; and whether a mechanism exists to assess such infrastructure requirements alongside projected housing delivery in rapidly growing areas. [71694/26

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade which of the 23 commitments in Ireland's Diaspora Strategy 2026 to 2030 relate to access to housing for Irish citizens returning to the State; if the Department or the Minister of State for international development and the diaspora has engaged with … Department of Finance or the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on a housing or tax support for returning emigrants; if so, the outcome of any such engagement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74325/26

Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the planned and/or allocated expenditure on infrastructure intended to facilitate housing delivery for each of the years 2026 to 2030, broken down between rural areas and villages, towns and cities; and, where expenditure cannot be categorised … this manner, the way in which the geographic distribution of housing-enabling infrastructure investment is monitored, in tabular form. [73635/26

Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the measures contained in the European Affordable Housing Plan have been incorporated into the review or amendment of regional and local planning and housing strategies; and, if so, to identify the relevant measures and implementation

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing units secured under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2024, broken down by local authority and by year; the number of those units that were agreed as social housing, affordable

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 66731/26, whether his Department has assessed housing demand using the 2022 Census data; if so, the estimated level of housing demand identified; and if he will provide the figures

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has formally instructed local authorities to include specific targets for UD+ (wheelchair liveable) dwellings within their Housing Delivery Action Plans; whether annual and five-year targets for universally designed housing, including wheelchair

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on whether the current housing legislation is sufficiently prescriptive in terms of directing local authorities to the criteria which they must consider when allocating available council housing. [73417/26

Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagements by him or officials in his Department concerning the failure of Wicklow County Council to commence any social or affordable housing schemes in Arklow, County Wicklow; and the pressure he may be able … place on the council to develop housing in the town. [71709/26

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to identify the housing projects or zoned residential lands in Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk which have been identified to his Department or the Housing Activation Office as being constrained by deficits in water, wastewater, electricity

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of new build social housing projects in Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk which are included in his Department’s social housing construction pipeline; the number of homes in each project; and the current stage

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department collects national data on under-occupation of local authority housing stock; and whether national guidance or targets are in place to ensure that scarce social housing is appropriately matched to household need

Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount allocated in 2027 for housing adaptation grants for older people and people with a disability, and the number of grants expected to be funded, within the over €750 million provided in Budget … address specific housing needs, compared with the €130 million for 17,000 grants provided in Budget 2026. [71821/26

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for funding to be made available to local authorities through the Housing Activation Office for projects to unlock housing. [72451/26

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will review the mortgage to rent scheme purchase price caps in light of house price inflation, particularly in those non urban areas that have experienced significant second hand house price inflation in recent

Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a local authority or an approved housing body's I.S. 465 building professional recommends option 1 remediation (details supplied), his power to seek documentary evidence and request review by the Housing Agency can result

Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the housing assistance payment scheme will be extended to include the housing asset-owning parents of persons with additional needs and disabilities. [69734/26

Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the delivery of cost-rental housing; the measures being taken to support local authorities and approved housing bodies in increasing supply; and his priorities for the further expansion of the cost-rental

Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable houses that have been delivered in County Meath in 2025 and to date in 2026; and his plans to increase the amount of affordable housing in County Meath. [67875/26

Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the performance indicators and measurable targets used to monitor implementation of each local authority's housing delivery plan; to identify which local authorities publish performance against those indicators; and to provide links to the published performance

Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the planned and allocated expenditure on infrastructure intended to facilitate housing delivery, for each local authority for each of the years 2026 to 2030, identifying the relevant funding programme or funding stream in each case

Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the remediation scheme to fix defects in apartments and duplexes; when he expects to bring legislation before the house; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74571/26

Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether apartment owners in pyrite-affected multi-unit developments can access State remediation supports; will they be treated equitably with homeowners in traditional housing developments affected by similar defects; and will he explore the establishment

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the new rural housing guidelines will be adopted by every local authority; and if a timeframe could be provided. [74725/26