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Government to deliver. Every week I hear from local builders who want to help Government to deliver on that ambition by building houses in hundreds of rural communities, helping the Government reach its housing target as well as ensuring the viability of our rural communities. They are being … seeing any progress on the pilot wastewater scheme announced by the Government in 2023 and there is no end in sight. No housing developments will be built in these villages nor in any other settlements in rural Ireland without a treatment system. Rural Ireland simply cannot wait

rack up rents. Renters will be making their voices heard next Wednesday at a public event we will be hosting outside Leinster House. I invite the Minister of State opposite to join those renters and hear their voices. Will he and the Minister for housing immediately publish … Housing Agency report on rent caps that is sitting on the Minister's desk? Will they give renters some certainty by committing to retaining the rent caps that are in place for a minimum of three years

Drogheda this evening. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. There is a need for additional funding and resources for the three housing adaptation grant schemes in County Louth. Last week, just over a third of the way through the year, Louth County Council sent a circular saying … could not accept any more housing grant applications for anything other than priority 1 applications due to funding constraints. This is not the first time that Louth County Council has had to stop taking applications for these schemes. Something similar happened in 2023. Additional funding was announced last

thank the Deputy. Allocations have been made to local authorities in the last week in relation to housing adaptation grants. There has been significant change in grants following a review last year. The mobility aid grant has gone from €6,000 to €8,000, the housing … older persons grant has increased from €8,000 to €10,700 and the housing adaptation grant has gone from €30,000 to €40,000. I do not have the exact figure, but, from memory, I think that approximately €2.7 million in Exchequer funding was allocated to the local

Deputy's personal interest in the matter. He has been a long-time campaigner on these issues in his time in the House. Organisations such as An Saol Foundation are invaluable to the disability sector. As the Deputy is aware, An Saol provides specialised care, rehabilitation and community … will be dependent on increasing staffing complements within services, providing the necessary capital infrastructure will be of huge importance also. Independent living and housing will also be a major feature of the forthcoming national disability strategy. It must be noted that continued cross-government engagement, particularly with

treatment plants rather than an unconstrained "green" status. However, Uisce Éireann will prioritise new connections for water supply for domestic properties to support housing needs across the area and assess non-domestic connection applications on a case-by-case basis. Uisce Éireann will work with developers of large … under the National Development Plan 2026-2030. Of course, it is clear that one of the major issues in addressing the deficit in housing is linked to a lack of water and sewerage infrastructure and, at another level, grid capacity. The Government is very cognisant of that

Deputy said, at Ringsend. This over-reliance on one location is not sustainable and is a barrier to the delivery of housing and economic development, not only in Dublin but in counties Kildare and Meath. More locally, the north city arterial main project will see the significant replacement … reached a point where the lack of infrastructure in particular areas is having a drag on economic growth and putting sustained pressure on housing output, which is a very important issue on the minds of most in the House and certainly outside

blocks are held to account, that a full public inquiry is held into the defective material and how it was sold into the housing markets and that the industry must contribute to the overall cost of the remediating of defective properties. Where is the scheme for the council … houses and approved housing bodies, AHBs? Many questions need to be urgently answered regarding this scheme

fine. I thank Deputies Conway-Walsh and Mac Lochlainn for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. As the Deputies will be aware, the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete … difficult for people. The Department continues to work with key stakeholders on the operation of the scheme, including the relevant local authorities, the Housing Agency and the homeowner’s liaison officer where the concerns of the homeowners came to the Department. To deal with a point that Deputy

working on this. Challenges in providing these services include workforce challenges that apply to all specialist disability services, the acquisition of suitable housing stock and the increasing cost of providing residential care. Regulatory compliance is important in residential services and HIQA continues to inspect all designated centres … appropriately addressed. In order to address these challenges, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality continues to engage with the HSE, Department of housing, and other relevant stakeholders to explore various ways of responding to demand while appropriately managing the significant levels of funding provided to residential services

working class young people and people from the Travelling community. Today, however, vast numbers of young people are forced by the cost of housing, in particular, to live at home and commute long distances to college. Many young people who struggle psychologically with the transition to third level … enriched college experience by the extreme costs of living to which they are subject. We owe it to young people to resolve the housing crisis, which is at the core of the disparity between college life now and college life 25 or 30 years ago. We can only

spoke to a developer from Waterford in advance of this debate. He is building a number of housing estates in Waterford. I am sure the Minister of State will be familiar with many of the projects. This developer mentioned to me some time ago the issues … particular with regard to Irish Water. He was of the view that these issues are impacting on his company's ability to deliver housing on time. He talked about not getting definite answers and issues with advance meetings regarding planning applications and even buying land. As Deputy

This is a very important motion. We cannot build houses unless we have the necessary infrastructure in place. I have raised a number of times the failure to invest in wastewater infrastructure in a number of towns and villages across my constituency, as well as the slow delivery … projects which has stalled the delivery of housing. I raised it with the Tánaiste last week who said that investment would be forthcoming. However, we have heard these commitments before. We need less talk and more action to get the necessary infrastructure in place. I also raise

county of Wexford. One of the main vital issues our country faces at present, after the provision of affordable and social housing, is energy sustainability. Rosslare Europort is the number one port for roll on, roll off PAX services in Europe. However, the delay in developing the port … route E01 from Belfast to Rosslare, not to mention the underdevelopment of the rail lines, particularly the regularity and upgrading of intercity trains. Housing targets have been missed year in, year out. Even more staggering, there are more than 166,000 voids in the country, and this when

thank the Deputy. I will update the House that I have now met all of the advocacy groups representing the children, young people and families affected by spinal conditions. I thank them sincerely for their time and their honesty. I have heard directly from them about the impact … have assured them of my commitment and the commitment of this Government to improving paediatric spinal services. By way of background, the House will be aware that more than €30 million has been allocated to reduce waiting lists in this area over recent years. Targeted initiatives have been

consultation. Effectively, we will publish a draft in the coming months. The draft will go out to public consultation and consultation in the House, and I would expect Deputy O'Hara and all interested Members to have an input into that. We have also committed in the programme … reviewing, updating and publishing a new national aviation policy. I am very happy to engage with the Deputy and colleagues across the House as we put that new aviation policy together. It will go in front of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport at the appropriate time

therefore, think any of us should be judge and jury on that. I acknowledge the Government's continued efforts to meet housing targets and strengthen our national infrastructure. One key issue we are facing, especially in the midlands, is the need to upgrade our electricity grid to support … housing and developments. We know that transformers and other critical components are not necessarily in short supply right now, but they are being ordered and manufactured globally. If peace were to emerge in places like Ukraine and Palestine, as we hope, global demand for these infrastructural goods will

thank all Deputies for their contributions. There is general agreement in the House that outdoor seating is a good development from the point of view of the hospitality sector and the people who go to pubs and restaurants and like to sit outside. It is also fairly clear … sorts of barriers, obstacles and requirements that have to be gone through in order for legislation to be introduced in the House and then to get through it. I have listened very carefully to what Deputies had to say. I have no objection to Deputies raising peripheral issues

children can make. In my constituency, one of the things that parents point out to me is that there are areas with higher house prices that have a level of choice in terms of schools and denominations, but in areas with more average or lower house prices, given … many families cannot afford the areas with higher house prices, they do not have the same choices. People are being put at a disadvantage due to their economic status regarding where they can send their children to school, which is relevant to their religious education. Of course, this

education has been written out of the new programme for Government. It is also important to acknowledge and highlight that with new housing developments and the planning for that, in particular in the national planning framework, there is a need for schools to be developed alongside housing … major issue that where we have housing development, we are not seeing schools being invested in and provided for along with that. In particular, if there is new State funding for schools, it should be on a nondenominational or multidenominational basis. Parents need to have that education provided

spirit of being helpful to the Minister, what needs to step up is the performance of the Minister for housing and indeed the collective performance of Government. All of that is just verbiage that the Minister has offered up on that unit. The Minister for housing drives housing

Committee of Selection and appointment of Cathaoirligh (any division claimed to be taken immediately) - Motion re Appointment of Ordinary Members to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (any division claimed to be taken immediately) - Motion re Dissolution of Select Committee on Subsidiarity (European Union Legislative Scrutiny) - Statements … debate and any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately; 3. the proceedings on the Motion re Appointment of Ordinary Members to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission shall be taken without debate and any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately; 4. the proceedings on the Motion

Last week I asked for a debate on the Government's housing policy or lack of it. Since then, the Government's credibility has collapsed even further with the debacle over the housing tsar. We need an emergency debate this week on housing. Does the Government agree that

apologise again to the House. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Ceann Comhairle as ucht an ama agus an deis seo a thabhairt dom. I would like to express my personal gratitude to the Ceann Comhairle, members of the Opposition and all Members for the manner in which I have … would have allowed greater accessibility to those impacted by the report and, indeed, the public at large. However, for the information of the House, the commission's view is that it would have been impracticable to do so, having regard to the detailed factual background derived from

This is partly why there has been such uproar about the outrageous almost half a million euro salary proposed for Fianna Fáil's housing maverick; a housing oligarch or a housing tsar with a Russian oligarch price tag. We might call it a "fixer-in-chief" or even

Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of Garda vetting applications received regarding social housing applications in 2026; the number of applications yet to be processed; and the average time it takes to return a vetting result. [51384/26

open prisons for women (details supplied), the Government has plans to establish an open prison for women, similar to Shelton Abbey and Loughan House; and if no such plans exist, to provide an explanation for this decision and how it aligns with Ireland's human rights obligations. [51405/26

engagement that has taken place with stakeholders regarding the Bill; when it is expected that the legislation will be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51720/26

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if persons whose applications for International Protection are still being assessed, are being accommodated in social housing or in State supported private rental accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51837/26

written report on a scholarship programme, together with an independent auditor’s report, thus ensuring that this report is brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50916/26

Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the engagement hi Department has had with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the development of planning guidelines for anaerobic digestion and biomethane facilities, given the targets set out in the National Biomethane

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a detailed breakdown of the funding provided for nature restoration. [50403/26

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated cost to double the funding for biodiversity officers, by cap ex and op ex, in tabular form. [50420/26

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has conducted an assessment of the extent to which recent tenancy law reforms have contributed to landlords exiting the private rental market; the findings of such an assessment; and if he will

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of the funding that was provided to retrofitting of local authority homes; the average cost to retrofit a local authority home; and the average BER uplift in each of the years

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of the funding that was allocated for solar PV in local authority homes in each of the years 2020 to 2026, in tabular form. [50355/26

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, given Residential Tenancies Board data showing a record number of notices of termination issued during Q1 2026, he will undertake a review of the impact of the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 on landlord

Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of applicants who have availed of the €1,500 annual payment under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme, by year, since the creation of the scheme; the total number

Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views that the absence of national planning guidelines for anaerobic digestion and biomethane facilities risks producing inconsistent decisions across local authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála; the steps he is taking to ensure a coherent national

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for the full staffing allocation, according to grade provided to Galway City Council; the additional staffing positions approved for Galway City Council in each of the years 2024 and 2025; the grade level at which

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the full staffing allocation, by grade provided to Galway County Council; the additional staffing positions approved for Galway County Council in each of the years 2024 and 2025; the grade level at which the additional staff

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the development of a new fire station in Galway city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50572/26

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications for the vacant above the shop grant since the scheme opened; the number of grants approved; the number of grants drawn down; and to provide a breakdown for this information

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to set out the procedures for updating city and county development plans following the adoption of a national planning policy statement by Government, including statutory timelines for public consultation or adoption of the content

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of biodiversity officers in each local authority, by local authority, in tabular form, and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51175/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to set out the provisions of the updated IPAS house rules of June 2026 concerning the re-entry to reception and accommodation centres of residents who have consumed alcohol; whether the effect of these provisions

Question No. 492 of 28 May 2026, whether she will commit to establishing a longitudinal outcome tracker for care-experienced young adults covering housing, education, employment, mental health and addiction; and the expected publication date of outputs from the Care Experiences Programme. [50670/26

number of times it has met to date; and the date on which its report will be published or laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. [50603/26

asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on plans for the future use of the Wicklow Court House building; if his Department has considered disposing of the premises for community use; the maintenance currently ongoing at the building; and if he will

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to changes to the proposed apartment mix for an LDA site (details supplied) that was not included in the public consultation on the proposed development; and if he will