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safety and security of the State and its citizens throughout the period of blockades of critical infrastructure. We all know in this House, on the Government's side, that in any liberal democracy the right to peaceful assembly, the right to express disagreement with the people who govern … central right. It is a right that all of us in this House support and the Constitution of this country expressly guarantees it. I have no doubt there are many people from across the country who are exercising that right due to the great concern they

applicable VAT rate should have been considered instead. Four weeks ago when we were debating the first round of measures in the House, I asked the Tánaiste to speak to the European Commission on the prospect of reducing the VAT rate on home heating oil, for example, from … people I represent there is a permanence about this cost-of-living crisis. If the Government and everyone else in the House are serious about democracy and value the democratic culture and the State that my party and others helped to found and cultivate, they will not want

made the initial announcement, these supports will be monitored and kept under review. The truth is that nobody on that side of the House and nobody on this side of the House can say with certainty what is going to happen with the war in the Middle East … have to ensure we remain agile and responsive to the needs of the people we are honoured to represent in this House

been put to the pin of their collar by a spiralling and seemingly perpetual cost-of-living crisis that includes energy bills, rent, house prices, grocery prices, childcare costs, education costs and the cost of disability. I could go on. The frustration being aired on O’Connell Street … living crisis and very much have just cause to protest. I think we all - or certainly those on this side of the House - felt a considerable degree of support for the protests among the general population. I have received countless emails from constituents in Dublin South-West expressing

public finances. I am not sure what I would say to an elderly person who has made an SEAI application to retrofit their house or to get their house wrapped if I was a hypocrite and did not support the financial measures that have been implemented … country are at breaking point. People are doing everything right and are still falling behind as the cost of fuel, groceries, energy and housing continue to rise faster than their incomes. That is where our focus must be. If we are serious about being constructive, we must bring

infrastructure, something we often just do not have in the west of Ireland. Critical infrastructure is the bedrock of a strong, functioning economy. Housing, health, transport, water and energy are the essentials - the necessities - to be able to work, to be able to be healthy … children’s hospital. All the Government’s attempts so far to speed up infrastructure delivery have had the opposite effect. The disastrous strategic housing development legislation introduced in 2017 caused havoc in the planning system, only to be replaced by the equally ineffective large-scale residential development legislation

What people see in towns like Midleton and Carrigtohill is residential development moving ahead much faster than amenity provision. New houses are being built at pace and more families are moving in, but the facilities which are core to community life are lagging badly behind. There … Does the Minister of State accept that if funding is not systematically matched to population growth this is exactly what happens? We get housing estate after housing estate but not the facilities needed to build a connected community. We get long, frustrating drives to other towns or even

economic development and economic diversification in rural areas that come under the remit of the Minister. It is also adding to the rural housing crisis that is of concern for many Departments. It is of concern to all of us here in the House … suitable hotel accommodation in many areas is having a disproportionate impact on those rural and coastal communities that are already under huge housing pressure. I am thinking of Gaeltacht areas such as Ardmore in my constituency. The measures that were announced a number of weeks ago to address

Tánaiste selectively quoted from a number of sources, including the Housing Commission. The fact of the matter in regard to short-term lets is the Government is already talking about weakening the legislation by increasing the population cap and putting in exemptions that were not there when … original legislation was mooted. The housing crisis has become so severe that an 88-year-old with dementia is being evicted in County Sligo as we speak. That is how bad it has become under the watch of this Government. In his response, the Tánaiste did not actually

continues to leave many families struggling to get onto it. At the same time there is still no dedicated scheme for social housing, which we are waiting on. Critically, there is no scheme at all for public buildings such as schools and crèches affected. In Donegal alone … impacted. In communities like Raphoe, Ardara, Letterkenny and across Inishowen, this is the daily lived reality for these families. They are living in houses with cracks and damp and mould. Their children are going into creches and classrooms facing the very same structural issues. It is an unsafe

does not go far enough, particularly when it comes to the protection of unrecorded burial sites. The request from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to local authorities, including Cork City Council, to consider these sites within their development plans is welcome but consideration alone … families and communities that have carried that pain for generations. While I welcome the establishment of the working group by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, what is now needed is urgency and delivery. Survivors have waited long enough for recognition, respect and tangible action

households that have seen their prices more than double in the past few weeks. A lot of them are more rural houses, one-off houses and houses that are owned by people who are older. Of all the Government's half-baked measures in response to the crisis

Mayo that are being left behind. What does the Government think it is like for the people living in the houses affected by defective concrete blocks when they see the houses crumbling around them? There are cracks in the wall and they are trying to heat them … Minister was the previous housing Minister and now he is the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment. Can he imagine how cold it is? I got calls from Mayo this morning to say how freezing cold it was. The Government could have adopted Sinn Féin's legislation

stuck and isolated because there is no proper public transport to serve them. They are suffering because they still have to heat their houses, as do people who are living alone. The heat goes straight out the door for the owners of homes affected by defective concrete. They … have to have the heating on all the time to keep the house warm. As everyone knows, with what is going on up in Donegal, the houses are riddled with damp. This is just putting more of a burden on them. Homeowners face impossible decisions every

thousands of people in this country are being impoverished and having hardship imposed on them because of the deranged lunatic in the White House, Donald Trump, and the psychopaths who run the Israeli regime and their bloodlust and warmongering. People in this country cannot pay their bills, cannot … There would be outrage, yet the Government quietly allow US troops go through Shannon Airport while Trump and these psychopaths in the White House and in the Israeli regime continue these crimes. People here are suffering for those crimes, yet the Government continues to take no action whatsoever

which is potentially going in a military direction. We have a scheme here. I am not in favour of ending any scheme housing anybody in this country during a housing crisis. That should be perfectly clear. Where are people going to go? That is a serious question anyone … Sinn Féin is punching down. That is what it is doing. There is no proof that this is having an impact on the housing market

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport including certain services administered by that Office, and for payment of certain subsidies and grants. Vote 34 — Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised Estimate). That a sum not exceeding €8,946,300,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come … during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2026, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage including grants to Local Authorities, grants and other expenses in connection with housing, water services, miscellaneous schemes, subsidies, grants

human rights-compliant investigation. Without Michael Gallagher, there would be no inquiry. It is important to state that clearly in the House today. The inquiry we are legislating to support exists because a bereaved father refused to accept that either state could simply move on. That is what … states knew is being heard. This Bill does not and cannot address that dispute, which is a matter for the courts. However, the House should put it on the record that the rights of families to meaningful participation in the process should never be negotiable

everyone who has served on the Oireachtas committee to do with cancer. I have been working on it since I came into this House. I am grateful to the Irish Cancer Society for all the great work it is doing and all the details it gave … urgent. They should not be left in limbo, particularly when we know early diagnosis is critical. I suppose that no one in this House can say that they have not been touched by cancer. If anyone has gone through it, cancer is a really horrific

Younger generations, renters and workers are being broken by the Government's housing policy failures. Today, we hear that last year there were 20,000 eviction notices issued to private renters, the highest we have seen since the Famine, and up 41% in the last quarter, made worse … scale we have not seen in this country. These evictions are causing a trauma to every person who is experiencing them, while house prices are also spiralling out of control. Younger generations cannot afford the rent hikes. They cannot afford to buy a home. They cannot afford

drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence, mental health difficulties and intergenerational poverty, to name just a few challenges. For the information of the House, I want to put it on record that all referrals to Tusla are screened within 24 hours for risk of immediate harm. Where there … behalf of Tusla. These services include youth work programmes, counselling supports, parenting programmes, community-based family supports and family resource centres. As the House is aware, I have increased the number of family resource centres across the country by 15, to 136. Community, voluntary and charitable organisations delivering

unregulated providers of SEAs. This includes one company that has been paid over €41 million. Will the Minister of State outline to the House why the Department and Tusla deem it acceptable to pay these clearly unqualified companies, like hotels, taxi companies and even the likes of Harvey … number of our public services, including Tusla, namely, the privatisation and outsourcing of care, the lack of workforce planning and the ongoing housing and cost-of-living crisis, all of which we should be talking about as part of this debate. The SEAs highlight the increasing and ongoing

Lough Derg in Dromineer. I am here today to convey the deep frustration of the people of Ballycommon in relation to 34 houses that could be built in that village if Uisce Éireann would just do its job. I have submitted a freedom of information, FOI, request … answer that FOI for me. I cannot get parliamentary questions answered because apparently Uisce Éireann is not answerable to us in this House. I am again calling for changes to be made so we can hold Uisce Éireann to account. It will get €12 billion

short term. One of the leading issues in regard to addressing homelessness is having an adequate supply of social and affordable housing. Based on the quarter 3 construction status report, the Minister is only going to, as of that date, meet 30% of his target for social housing … goal. Is the Minister going to revise the targets he has for an average of 12,000 new social homes in his current housing plan in order to deal with that deficit? The targets in that plan are too low given the demand that already exists, given

three-bedroom units. This tells us that a huge group of people who are not eligible for social housing, but whose incomes are below those levels, are locked out. Approximately 26% of applicants to the LDA's cost-rental stock are excluded on affordability grounds. For three-bedroom … been doing this a decade or more ago. However, right now, there are thousands upon thousands of working people who cannot access social housing, do not earn enough for cost rental and have no housing options. Does the Minister accept there is a problem? What will

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the recent Housing Commission report and to outline if a working group will be established to facilitate the implementation of the report. [4559/25

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of homes that went sale agreed in 2024; how many of these were apartments and how many were houses; the number bought by individuals; the number bought by institutions; the number bought

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider implementing regulations to ensure that no new-build housing will have electricity supplied through overhead wires; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4788/25

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the application by Waterford City and County Council for a mixed tenure development at Fairlane, Dungarvan to include affordable, cost-rental, and social housing units; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the application by Waterford City and County Council for a social housing development at An Sean Phobal, County Phort Láirge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3637/25

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the application by Waterford City and County Council for a social housing development at Shandon, Dungarvan, County Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3638/25

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider enabling local authorities to acquire proportions greater than 20% for social and affordable housing under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 - 2021 in certain circumstances, such

Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will engage with an association (details supplied) that are owed an outstanding payment from Cavan County Council in respect of social houses delivered in 2022; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if there are any plans that housing organisations which are listed on the approved housing bodies register be prescribed as bodies which are subject to the Freedom of Information

Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people in receipt of the housing assistance payment in County Clare for each of the years from 2020 to 2024, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3374/25

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authorities currently using choice-based letting to make social housing allocations. [2239/25

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social homes purchased from financing institutions by the Housing Agency with their rolling fund in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024; the number of these properties that were then sold onto AHBs

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to detail the housing supports that are available to persons suffering from mental health issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2295/25

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 710 of 22 January 2025, to confirm that no circular has been issued to local authorities with respect to housing assistance payment rates for separated parents with part access

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will expand the scope of the local authority energy efficiency retrofit scheme by including windows and doors, heat pumps and ventilation systems as they are outdated and faulty in many local authority houses

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will introduce a scheme of affordable housing and low-cost sites for towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2746/25

Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons in receipt of housing assistance payment in County Clare for each of the years 2020 to 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3037/25

Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the short-, medium- and long-term future of the cost rental tenant-in-situ scheme and the social housing variation of same, given that the issue is causing a lot of anxiety among tenants in Dublin

Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports available to urban communities in establishing group sewerage schemes to replace failed shared sewers in older housing estates, similar to the group sewerage scheme grant which is available rurally; and if he will make

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the review of the existing suite of engineering qualifications in the local government sector commenced by the previous Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage in April 2024 has concluded; and when he will

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Q3 social and affordable housing delivery report will be published. [46343/24

Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to examine the case of the Housing Finance Agency interest rate adjustments (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46536/24

Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is currently a limit on the amount of surplus funds housing cooperatives may have at the end of a financial year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46738/24

Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to increase the targets for affordable housing for Cork city and Cork County Council. [46844/24

Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the per unit cost provided to local authorities for retrofitting of local authority housing. [46848/24