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while in Opposition seem to have fallen by the wayside. It it is going to lead to another five years of crisis in housing, health and the cost of living. Some people trusted the Government on housing in the run-up to the election but they have realised … quite being upfront. It knew what was coming down the line after the election with the results for its housing targets. Ireland's electricity prices are going to remain the highest in Europe and as our over-dependence on imported energy becomes further entrenched, the bottlenecks in planning

honour to be standing here as a TD for the constituency of Louth. It is my first proper opportunity to speak in the House. I thank my family, friends and supporters, Louth Fianna Fáil and all those who worked so hard. I am very grateful for all their … must continue to focus on attracting new businesses, supporting existing enterprises, investing in innovation and technology to drive growth and create jobs, building houses for the diverse and growing population we have and looking after the engine of our local economies and our communities. We must reduce

regarding the programme for Government. We all know about the issues the Government spoke about and the abject failure to deliver 40,000 houses and the many promises that have been made. Unfortunately, we are dealing with those families and the people who cannot afford rent or houses … even in supposedly affordable housing schemes. Sufficient work has not been done. I have not seen any promises from this Government that I can believe. We need to movement in this matter

time. Eamon Ryan's dream of air-to-water heat pumps turned into a nightmare for most people. They were perished in their houses. Thank God a lot of people had a chimney. We should go back and make sure that people are allowed chimneys in all counties … sure they are armed. On the humanitarian side, and I know the Minister is familiar with this, it seems to just concern the house in one form such as a fridge getting into trouble or maybe damage at the house. Outside of that, however, we have turf. There

meeting against a backdrop of great fragility when it comes to the ceasefire, and I know that all sides of this House will agree on the importance of the ceasefire being maintained. It was long awaited and quite frankly took far too long, with far too many civilian … United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, to support its vital work. As the House and the Deputy are aware, in light of the July 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, ICJ, and the subsequent advice I sought

intend to note at each Oral Questions session from now on the disproportionate, unbalanced and unfair priority which some parties in the House have to hold the Government to account, given the allocated amounts of time. I hope the Government and the Opposition will follow through on their … words to allocate more time to people representing one of the largest groups in the House, namely, backbenchers. We have as much right to ask Priority Questions to our Ministers as anybody else in the House. I acknowledge the Tánaiste's appointment and that of the Minister

This is my first opportunity to address the House since my appointment to this very important brief. It is an honour to hold it and I look forward to working on the sector with the Deputies opposite and all Deputies of the House. I acknowledge that Deputy Boyd … terms and conditions of the staff employed do not fall within the remit of my Department. That notwithstanding, like any Member of the House, I am concerned anytime there is the suggestion of redundancies, be it at BIMM or at any other company or organisation in the State

networks. The plan will be drafted by the summer and finalised by the autumn. I will be pleased to come to the House at any stage on that. Work is well under way to introduce legislation to regulate minimum standards for resilience risk and incident management of entities … ComReg and report outages across their networks. They have mobilised all available resources towards further restoration of services. I can say to the House that no resources are being withheld from this. Full restoration may take more time in the areas most damaged. While the restoration of electrical

Whitehall and Castlebrock, Longford, over the weekend and witnessed the extensive damage at first hand, with trees lying across roads and houses with large trees having fallen against them, broadband boxes hanging off poles and wires strewn everywhere. The response from the Government was appallingly slow, particularly … reacted to this storm made us look like one. An 8 kVA generator is sufficient to power an average house in the event of a power outage. Such a generator would cost approximately €1,500 and the cost of wiring the house with a changeover switch would

breadth of the contributions by Members of the House today and yesterday speaks to the scale of the impact of Storm Éowyn. It was, as Deputy Gogarty said, a hurricane-type event, with winds of 180 km/h, which illustrates the severity. We can see the impact … storm, and I join other Members in extending my sympathies to the family of Kacper Dudek. I thank the Members of the House for their contributions today and yesterday. It is our duty to reflect on the stories we have heard, the lived experiences and the real hardship

This is quite phenomenal and broke all records. It seems the only thing the Government is good at when it comes to health, housing and other areas is breaking records for all the wrong reasons. All of the people left on hospital trolleys, and others sitting in chairs … would imagine, given all of these well-rehearsed crises and all of the debates we have had in the House on health, housing, the cost of living and many of these issues, that the Government would come forward with real plans with ambition and detail in its programme

nation over the next five years. This comprehensive document, agreed on by our coalition, outlines crucial commitments in areas such as housing, healthcare and climate action. I am particularly encouraged by the Government's continued commitment to addressing the housing crisis. It is important to note that significant … homes by 2030 represents real progress for families across Ireland. We have seen at first hand the challenges posed by the housing crisis and I am confident that our continued efforts will make a significant difference. While not explicitly outlined in the programme for Government, I am pleased

step change that is needed in any of the areas that matter most to the people of Meath East. In the area of housing, for example, the Government is intent on following its failed policy. We know the targets are too low and we know that the Government … fails to meet the targets. We know that rents are too high and house prices are unaffordable, supply is too short and homelessness is at a record level and rising. County Meath is in the eye of the housing crisis storm and this crisis, most regrettably, looks

which delayed housing schemes for years in this country. Absolute fundamentalism in respect of how things should happen has held back housing growth in this country. I am going to put it to the Deputy that we are going to take initiatives here and I would welcome … what has happened over the past four years, where you have opposed every single progressive measure designed to get increased output in housing

areas, due to the scale of the damage to the electricity grid, the work has been incredibly intricate and difficult. I assure the House and our citizens without power that every effort is being made to restore electricity to these remaining customers as soon as possible. Approximately … Utilities, CRU, to discuss increasing the resilience of the system once the immediate impact of the storm has passed. I assure the House that I have received assurances from ESB Networks that it is taking all actions necessary to restore power to customers. Both

response was to come down to County Roscommon to get his photograph taken and then to tell us on this side of the House that we were playing politics. I have been in this House since 2020 and I have never played politics on any issue, ever … done so much in recent days, especially those across Roscommon and Galway. I have never been prouder to represent them here in this House. Yesterday, I listened to the CEO of the ESB on the radio. He was asked about compensation and supports for his customers

role in dealing with the emergency situation. Lessons must be learned. The grid needs to be upgraded but some parties in this House are talking out of both sides of their mouth in this regard. On the one hand, they talk about upgrading the grid, yet they oppose … staff in most of the municipal districts. Building standards must be improved. We need to look at the roofs we are putting on houses. Some roofs blew off like pieces of paper. We will need more robust roofs and housing structures in the future. Compensation needs

came into effect. We reiterate that all remaining hostages must be returned to their families. I recall the motion previously adopted by this House, which unreservedly condemned the brutal attacks perpetrated by Hamas and other terrorist organisations on 7 October 2023, which indiscriminately and systematically targeted civilians … taking of hostages in any scenario is unconscionable. In the 16 months since then, this House has often expressed its deep concern about the unacceptable loss of civilian life and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. We underlined that Israel had a right to defend itself from attack

Energy Authority of Ireland. Secondary heating systems such as single room solid fuel stoves using renewable wood can still be installed in new housing under building regulations once the overall energy performance requirement for the dwelling is achieved. That speaks to the Deputy's point. Overall, modern highly … insulated houses retain the heat for much longer than traditional uninsulated houses and are more resilient during power cuts, while, at the same time, reducing carbon emissions from the built environment. With regard to the retrofit of local authority homes, in 2021 a new holistic approach was applied

benefit from, which was completely and utterly false. Let me put some new information on the record of the House. Deputy Lowry had 57 meetings in relation to the Doncaster deal, including here in the Houses of the Oireachtas, with the organisers of the project and representatives … they originated from. These payments were never disclosed to the tribunal. Will Deputy Lowry use the Government's time to explain to this House and the public why he, on 15 March 2001, met with other key individuals in relation to this deal in Dublin? The outcome

going to achieve the ramped-up delivery homes that we all know is so badly needed. Instead, we are seeing more outsourcing of housing. There is nothing to strengthen renters' rights. The Government has even ignored its own Housing Commission's recommendations. There is no sense here … radical reset on housing policy. It is welcome that the climate targets are retained but no meaningful pathway is set out for how we achieve them. What is worse is the slashing of funds for cycling, public transport and sustainable transport in favour of building more roads

Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport. - Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill as Minister for Health. - Deputy James Browne as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. - Deputy Jim O'Callaghan as Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. - Deputy Martin Heydon as Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries … both public and private. Based on an approach that has been successful in financial services, I will establish a new climate investment clearing house that will initially focus on energy transformation. Both during the pandemic and in the years since, we have shown that reform and progress

that the Cabinet is being named on the day the news broke that 30,000 homes were built in the State last year. Housing is the biggest issue affecting this country and the Government has been in reverse. When the new Taoiseach awoke this morning … While the Taoiseach was in Áras an Uachtaráin, young families were in the airports, emigrating to escape the high price of rents and houses. Ministers had to wait for one day for their ministerial seals but there are hundreds of thousands of people in this country

special day for them and their families. The Government that has been presented to us tonight is like a shabby, broken down house that has had a slap of paint thrown over it. The hope is that it will all be fine on the night, lads. That … will be homeless tonight and that 611 people are on hospital trolleys as we speak. People are living in boxrooms in their parents' houses. A generation of people will never own their own homes thanks to this Government and 20 years of Fine Gael, being backed

Chair. To the general public, I hope to be a reforming Ceann Comhairle, like my predecessor, and make the operations of the House more relevant in terms of the way it affects people day to day. I take on board the comments today and I undertake to improve … your support, which has been unrelenting. I thank the Clerk of the Dáil, Mr. Peter Finnegan, and the staff of the Houses. I also thank the staff in the catering service of the Houses, which is a very important aspect of the job, and we are looked after

Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends reforming local government to give more powers to democratically elected councillors as opposed to council management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48202/26

Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline for when solar planning guidelines will be published by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48228/26

Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if guidelines and measures are in place to ensure rezoning for residential priority is given to plots of land that are shovel ready; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48203/26

Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the measures his Department is considering to succeed the cessation of turf cutting compensation schemes as the payment period concludes for many applicants; if a replacement support is being considered

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the new planning rules accommodating those seeking to build on their own land will be implemented at local authority level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48297/26

Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the latest measures he and his Department are taking to address the issue of dereliction in sites across Dublin north-west; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48185/26

Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what he considers to be an affordable level of rents for council and HAP tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48200/26

Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will request a report from the Defective Concrete Block Appeals panel on the number of appeals underway; the number of decisions made by the panel in the past 12-months; the average length

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is considering introducing additional support for local authorities to assist tenants who are made homeless through fire damage to their rented accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48291/26

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will implement a no-fault eviction ban, in line with proposals in the recently published Report on Homelessness. [48321/26

Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures he is taking to ensure affordability of new homes; if he have a target percentage of new homes that will be deemed affordable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48003/26

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Gaeltacht planning statement and rural planning statement will be released; and the reason for the continued delays in the face of rising homelessness, the decline of the Irish language in an Ghaeltacht

Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding plans for a maritime activity centre for Cork (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48575/26

Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being undertaken by his Department to protect Irish beaches as part of coastal resilience measures; the supports available for beach renourishment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48626/26

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated cost to hire 10% additional staff in the An Coimisiún Pleanála with environmental, marine and/or ecological expertise; and the estimated cost to hire 20% 30%, 40%, 50% additional staff in An Coimisiún Pleanála. [48726/26

Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his Department’s plans to curtail economic evictions due to rising rents; the steps he is taking to address people being priced out of the private rental market; if he plans to introduce rent control measures

Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to review a gap in the vacant above-the-shop-grant scheme (details supplied); to outline the grants being introduced to support same; the timeframe for their delivery or when they will open to applications

Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures that are being undertaken to improve water quality in Cork Harbour and the River Lee catchment area, in light of recent Environmental Protection Agency findings regarding bathing water quality, nutrient pollution and other

Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will publish the updated guidelines for windfarms; if these guidelines will include setback distances, noise and flicker; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44473/26

Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is satisfied that his Department has an effective high level of oversight on the procurement processes and public accountability relative to the local authorities and agencies; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to support high street retailers who are facing a range of challenges (details supplied). [45502/26

Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the proposed new rural planning guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48302/26

Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department is considering any additional supports for the conversion of vacant upper floors above shops in towns and villages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38390/26

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement there has been between his Department and other Government departments recently in relation to the request for firefighters to be able to work past the age of 62 years, subject to medicals

Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update regarding affordable student accommodation; and his plan to tackle student homelessness. [48285/26