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brought forward by my colleague in Aontú, a motion co-signed by Independent Ireland. I thank Aontú for bringing that motion before the House in recent weeks. There is merit in tonight's motion. The reality is that there are a number of disenfranchised people on this island … presidential elections but also in general elections and local elections. There is a wider question that has to be answered here in the House. How is it when we see elections being called around Europe and in further places that we see citizens of other countries - European

with people, so in a blizzard of confusion we had Ministers tripping over themselves to contradict each other. The Tánaiste declared in this House last week that "We will be taking specific measures to support students; do not worry we will, because we have their backs". Then … rents will not go up. We know who is going to pay and it is renters, so let us be honest that Government housing policy has always been about investors and giving vulture and cuckoo funds free rein to squeeze rents out of hardworking people. To make matters

When the Tánaiste talks about increases in the building of houses and increases in the building of social homes, he is talking about increases from a floor of the worst housing collapse in the history of the State. He is talking about a figure of literally zero … terms of those increases. On getting these figures wrong and duplications, you cannot be on two social housing waiting lists simultaneously. You cannot

constituents are deeply concerned about the proposed closure of Perrott House mental health care facility in Skibbereen, County Cork. This residential care facility, which is staffed for 24 hours, has been home to many long-term residents, providing them with essential programmes like horticulture, music, poetry … society. Will the Tánaiste intervene? When I am talking about intervention, I know that these people want to stay in Perrott House. I tried to put a hand out to Perrott House to get some explanation of what is going on but it refused to give

thank all the Deputies on both sides of the House for their contributions on this Second Stage debate. In particular, I thank Deputy Toole, my constituency colleague, with whom I previously discussed this legislation. She has a particular interest. This is an important intervention we are trying … issue is about a finite health budget. In every country in the world, as those on that side of the House will rightly say, the amount of money we are spending on medicines is increasing. It is eye-watering and the demands are increasing because of innovation, much

provide a strong public transport network that serves the needs of all members of society in rural and urban areas. As the House is aware, the Government is strongly committed to providing all of our citizens with reliable, realistic and sustainable mobility options, as outlined in the programme … transport security force can augment that. That has been well documented in passenger experiences. Reliability was mentioned. I have raised in the House previously how people need to be able to be confident in the real-time data. It will improve over the next two years but there

difficult process trying to thread that needle to balance the rights of tenants and landlords, and to encourage private investment in the housing market, most especially in the area of apartments. It is clear that targets were not met last year because of the precipitous fall … status quo was simply not good enough. The State can carry a significant burden in terms of the cost of the provision of housing but it cannot carry it all and we do need private investment. It is also important to note this is only part

that the contrast between the Sinn Féin hype and hyperbole, and what will happen when we put these legislative pieces through the House, will be a yawning gap. Surely Sinn Féin will have to vote for these additional protections. The more fundamental point is that Sinn Féin … Sinn Féin's policy, because its solutions are simply wrong? Its whole proposition is incoherent. The only way we can deal with the housing crisis is to dramatically increase supply. We have increased it from 2020 onwards to about 30,000 thousand units per year. Up to then

People will gather to send a strong message to the Government. It is time for a radical reset of housing policy. No more incoherent policy changes. We need to see the radical reset the Housing Commission has called for because only the State has the deep pockets necessary … trying to govern by gotcha, why will the Government not take on board other urgent and ambitious proposals for reform and fix the housing crisis? Why will it not adopt our policy on protections for renters

bring rents down. Make that make sense. No wonder the Taoiseach's Cabinet colleagues are utterly bewildered. The Taoiseach has claimed repeatedly that housing is the Government's biggest priority. Yet, when it comes to policy announcements, they are chaotic and sloppy. Even today, the Minister conceded that … making it up as it goes along. It has no coherent plan and just one guiding principle, that is, to design a housing policy that extracts the maximum profit for investors. The Land Development Agency was set up in 2018. Now, seven years later, the Government is finally

Government's focus has been on housing supply. The Government has dramatically increased the level of public sector investment. We had record numbers of social houses built in the last four years. One would need to go as far back as 1975 to get an equivalent level … social housing built

first-time buyers. In addition, we have produced very significant grant support for people who want to renovate and live in a derelict house, for example, or in a vacant house. This is not investor led. This is people-led investment and support that we as a Government … have introduced and will continue to support the younger people who are seeking to get a house, either to buy or to rent, at an affordable price

People's incomes have not risen at the same pace, however. I will give some examples from Fingal. The average price of a house in 2021 was €320,000. Today, it is €445,000. That is the increase over four years. Properties for sale in a new development … Swords went on the market last week. A two-bedroom terraced property costs €485,000 and a three-bedroom semi-detached house is €595,000. That is absolutely shocking. It puts buying a house out of the reach of young couples and the average family. Ultimately

grateful for the opportunity to address the House on the Finance (Local Property Tax and Other Provisions) (Amendment) Bill 2025. As a representative of Dublin Rathdown, I am acutely aware of the importance of the local property tax, both as a source of funding for our local authority … life. It is an area with a strong sense of community, but also one that faces real challenges, whether it is in housing, transport or the provision of local amenities. The LPT has played a crucial role in supporting local services in Dublin Rathdown. It has funded

very basics are not being fixed. I was talking to Councillor Ger Curley yesterday, who is councillor for Independent Ireland, about the housing assistance payment, HAP. Why has the HAP not increased in relation to housing? This should come under the property tax. I am fairly sure … rent pressures zones, many people are telling me that in the past week auctioneers have been inundated with people walking away from letting houses. That is another crisis in its own right. The HAP has not increased and people are finding it very difficult to make ends meet

reduce it because the coming revaluations in November would have increased the costs. As we know from the protest outside regarding the housing crisis, house prices have now been driven back up to above Celtic tiger levels, meaning households would have to pay even more property tax. There … national average of 23% since November 2021. Galway has been one of the worst affected places. Often when we talk about the housing crisis, we only hear about Dublin. The impact on people's lives in Galway is absolutely horrendous. According to one source, in 2024 alone, property

behalf of the 100% Redress Party I voice my strong support for the Raise the Roof campaign. We need to call the housing and homelessness crisis what it is; a national emergency. This is a national emergency and requires a national emergency response. This crisis has been going … over a decade. Over ten years there has been a lack of housing, rising rents, crumbling homes and increased homelessness. House prices have risen by more than 130% in this time and rents have risen by more than 80%. We have seen record-breaking homelessness month after month

inadvertently disadvantaged and he wants exemptions to the new rules to be considered for students. Then this morning, the Minister for housing conceded it would not be possible for students or other short-term tenants to have special exemptions. This half-baked, makey-uppy type of measure, therefore … their children, when in actual fact it is the Government that has failed them. It said it has put billions of euro into housing and yet our homeless figures continue to climb each month, now reaching over 15,000. The Government did not meet its targets last year

brought to my attention that there seems to be an issue for the likes of St. John of God and its approved housing body, which was previously able to purchase houses under the capital assistance scheme. Will the Minister of State bring it up with the Minister … have already mentioned it myself. It was a means of getting disability housing that seems not to be in play at the moment. There seems to be an issue with the Department of public expenditure

this Government but in the previous Government. This proposal is not coming as a surprise to the Deputy or anybody in the House. I believe the Irish people see a very clear difference, as we have seen in recent public polling, between valuing military neutrality and recognising that … right. I am not just talking about hypotheticals, although I accept what I said about Lebanon was hypothetical. On previous occasions in the House, I have mentioned the challenges we have already faced in respect of the veto. I do not understand what the problem is with

Ireland and possibly Algeria as two of the most supportive countries of their actions. Perhaps that is not articulated enough in the House. This country, the Government and the Oireachtas are doing everything we possibly can, and we will continue to do everything we possibly can, to support … called for the association agreement review. We have a Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Monday week. What I would say today in the House is that I hope and expect the European Commission on that occasion to bring forward a list of options on what actions Europe

announced but never commenced. In March 2025, Uisce Éireann itself admitted that Kildare’s water supply was on a knife edge. More houses are being built in Kildare. Communities are growing, families are moving in, but the essential infrastructure is not keeping pace. The people of Kildare North … anyone else in this country. Last night, I spoke in this Chamber about the need for sustainable communities as we build more houses, apartments and duplexes, and there is a drastic need to build as much housing as possible. However, we need to ensure that we have sustainable

preliminary measures issued by the ICJ in South Africa's case against Israel under the convention. The reason I emphasise this to the House today is that this is the work we are doing. This is the diplomatic action we are taking. This … Central Bank is an independent and apolitical financial regulator. It is a cornerstone of our financial policy. During some discussions in this House, the role of the Central Bank in respect of Israeli bonds has been mischaracterised. I will again set the record straight to ensure the bank

with rent increases tied to inflation thereafter, they are set to see their rents rise sharply. Fianna Fáil rolls the dice on housing once again. The Government does all of this with no guarantee that it will lead to any significant increase in supply. The Housing Agency … nothing. This is not about protecting renters at all. This is about making renters carry the can for the Government's failure in housing. The Government will allow record rents to be hiked up in the pitiful hope that big investors will save

quite entitled to respond to them. The bottom line here is supply. There is nothing coming from him on supply. The Housing Commission recommended reform of the RPZ scheme. The Social Democrats welcomed the Housing Commission report at the time and attacked Government for the failure to respond … remember it well in the Dáil. All of the Members did. The Minister then got the Housing Agency to do a review of the RPZs, which are coming to expire at the end of the year anyway. When we announced that review and I referenced a few things

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the assessment that has been made of the cumulative impacts of the proposed Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project on biodiversity, habitats and protected species within the Shannon Callows and wider Shannon catchment, particularly during periods

Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of a site (details supplied); whether any decisions, directions or determinations have issued since the meeting; if not, the reason for the delay; when a determination is expected; whether the excavation works

Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will introduce a waiver scheme for development contribution fees for first-time planning applicants seeking permission to build their first home, given the huge cost now involved in applying for planning permission

Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given that the European Space Agency has confirmed that their satellite measurements are showing a sharp surge in sea-surface temperatures across the Pacific, which signals that El Niño is back, if his Department is putting

Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is a specific policy within his Department that seeks to preclude those elected to local authorities from any boards that he may appoint; the rationale behind any such policy; the way in which

Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to commit to preparing legislation to not automatically exclude members of local authorities from consideration for appointment to State boards; and to set out the reasons such persons would be excluded. [52876/26

Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the independent panel to review the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, following the publication of IS 465, has been established; if so, the date on which the panel was established; the membership of the panel

Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Local Government Reform Act 2014 removed the status of Kilkenny as a city, and that it continued to have the special clauses inserted in the legislation to ensure the continuation of this status

Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount expended by the NPWS in respect of clearing and disposing of illegally dumped materials on sites it manages in 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026, by year, site and amount expended

Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update in relation to the standardisation of the differential rent scheme. [52994/26

Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to reintroduce the temporary development contribution waiver scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52997/26

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will announce the anticipated rise in income limits before the Dáil rises for the summer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53096/26

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department is in contact with local authorities in relation to the implementation of the national Guide to Fire Safety in Existing Traveller Accommodation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the Department, agency, body or authority responsible for the publication of SI 79/2008 - Bathing Water Quality Regulations 2008; the Department, agency, body or authority responsible for updating, amending, extending or abolishing the content of SI 79/2008

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the Department, agency, body or authority responsible for the publication of SI 79/2008 - Bathing Water Quality Regulations 2008; the Department, agency, body or authority responsible for updating, amending, extending or abolishing the content of SI 79/2008

Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details of all grant schemes currently available through his Department for which individuals or community groups are eligible to apply; the purpose of each grant scheme; the eligibility criteria; the application process; the opening

Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Waterways Ireland has issued encroachment licences on the River Shannon or its lakes in the past two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53437/26

Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Waterways Ireland has issued an encroachment licence on SAP'S and SPA'S on the river Shannon or its lakes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53438/26

Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Waterways Ireland has issued encroachment licences; if they went before the North South Ministerial Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53439/26

Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Waterways Ireland has issued encroachment licences; if they are generating revenue for Waterways Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53440/26

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether Galway City Council has drawn-down funding provided through call two of the urban regeneration and development fund for the development of an innovation and creativity district designed to build deep structural links between

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether Galway City Council has drawn-down the full funding provided through call two of the urban regeneration and development fund for progression of a transport connectivity proposal which focuses on connectivity, permeability, facilitating compact growth

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has details on the proportion of the allocated €39.44 million spent on each individual project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53445/26

each of the past five years, and planned for the coming three years, to support the delivery of small-scale community-based housing for persons with intellectual disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52674/26

Disability and Equality if a formal cross departmental structure is in place between her Department, the Department of Health and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to support the delivery of residential placements for persons with intellectual disabilities; if so, the timelines or targets in place