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needs of working people, be they public sector or private sector, or those who are struggling with the cost-of-living and housing crises facing this country. When the Government refuses to listen to workers, they need to take to the picket lines to force it to listen … doing favours for the corporates, the energy companies and the landlords who are profiteering and benefiting from the cost-of-living and housing misery that ordinary people have suffered

where school students are taking to the streets in revolt over school conditions. In Spain, there is a revolt over landlordism and the housing crisis. Absolutely nothing changes in this country or anywhere else through polite budget submissions. It never did and it never will. It is power … rich. There is €1 billion being taken from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund to dole out to businesses. It should be used for housing and nothing else in this country, to be frank. There are also cuts in corporation tax. The men's sheds organisation wrote

domiciliary care allowance, DCA, was left out of any increases by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. As we all know in this House, it is a vital support for many families in keeping up with the additional costs of providing care to a child with additional needs … from 16 to 18 years of age. The Minister for Social Protection will know I have been raising this issue continuously in the House and now I can share the opinions of almost 2,000 families who want and, most importantly, need this change. Disabled people are facing

will not even come close to meeting the extra costs they are facing. Instead, the Government has directed unprecedented surpluses not at building houses or other critical infrastructure, but at giveaways to those who are already the wealthiest in society. The budget was absolutely shameful. We know … arrangements and the red-carpet treatment. That is indefensible. Sinn Féin will continue to challenge the Government to support workers and families, build housing and support communities. One of the roles of Government in a wealthy state is to deliver a functioning justice system and to make communities

close down the business because someone in Dublin is homeless, but they are not going to go down to Courtmacsherry to the house. We have to use our heads to see if we can salvage something at the 11th hour before ruination. A tourism tax was talked about … within an inch of their life because their children have been forgotten and have no voice. We have forgotten them inside this House. On transport, is Local Link going to be given a budget this time? Tenders were put out about 12 months ago and those tenders have

plean don chéad ghlúin eile? For rural Ireland, this budget is an enormous missed opportunity. There is nothing meaningful in respect of rural housing and no additional capital investment in housing at all. There are utterly inadequate measures on fuel and home heating oil for households and SMEs

pension going to €309.30 per week. There is an increase in children's allowance and improvements to the carer's allowance scheme. In housing, the help to buy scheme is going from €30,000 to €35,000. There is additional funding for affordable and social housing. The Government

improving our council homes, and support our small and medium-sized builders to get family homes built at scale. One can reshape a housing system around workers and families or it can do what the Government has done, namely, shape it around vulture funds, corporate landlords and large … many years. This crisis can absolutely be solved, but it requires urgency, scale, political will and the courage to break from the housing model that has failed ordinary people. The same question about the Government's priorities runs through social protection. As I said, €10 on the pension

even bother to give this humanitarian crisis its own section or detailed budget allocation. It is lumped in with a list of other housing supports and programmes. That shows an absolute lack of respect. When we discuss the defective concrete crisis, the Government focuses on the current estimate … that they cannot sell. Their lives are at a standstill. This is a defective concrete issue but it is also a housing issue and a social issue and it is becoming a public finance issue. How many homes are going to be included? That is what we need

help society and will have knock-on effects. If the Government had directly tackled the causes of high costs, such as childcare fees, housing shortages and public transport deficits, this would have left the underlying inflation rate lower than it will end up reaching. While the Government … provide more money for retrofitting and for solar energy. As I will hopefully outline tomorrow if there is enough time, 100,000 houses could be fitted with solar panels to reduce the overall costs within the parameters of this budget by reallocating some of the money. We needed

developers. We estimate that this increase is going to cost €16 million. That money should be put into direct-build social and affordable housing. When we take away all the supports, including the vacant home, property refurbishment and first home grants - everything the Minister claims to be affordable … scheme. This is a direct wealth transfer to large property developers. It will disproportionately benefit those on higher incomes, while pushing housing further out of the reach of ordinary working people

wiped out by increases in prices even before those workers get it. The scandalous part about this resolution is that if a house is sold for €800,000 and two children benefit from it, they will not pay a single cent in inheritance tax. What the Government … billion over the five years of the lifetime of the Government. Imagine what it could do with that €1 billion, how many houses it could build or how many additional healthcare staff it could employ. It could cut the cost of childcare to €10 a week – the Government

carbon tax. People are sick and tired of it. The Government is promising us new schemes for the retrofit of houses but it is taking two years for the SEAI to come back, in some instances, to tell people they will not qualify. I know … will not qualify because he was told he had a stone wall. He wanted to put the outside insulation around his house but he was refused because he had a solid stone wall. That is the gospel truth. I am calling on the Government

giving people false hope. If you implement a ban on evictions, you kill supply straight away. The population is increasing. Where will you house everybody else who needs somewhere to live? We have now brought in the strongest tenancy protection measures in the history of this State … come from to deliver the homes that we need. Freezing the crisis into a permanent crisis is not the solution to solving the housing crisis. It gives some people short-term support but when you end it, you do not have any solutions. We are where

deeply concerned about those young children who find themselves in that situation. That is why we provided record numbers of social housing last year and we will increase that delivery again this year. The State is putting in an extraordinary amount of funding directly to try to address … housing crisis so that we do not have that situation arising. What we are doing is making difficult decisions to ensure that we provide the supply, not only for people who are currently in accommodation but for those people who need accommodation who are living at home

which has to be the most important issue any of us deal with. Addressing family homelessness is a key priority for Government. Our housing plan commits to the development of a child and family homelessness action plan. This has brought together key stakeholders to drive the continued focus … quickly as possible. Local authorities will continue to work with households to identify appropriate pathways out of emergency accommodation, including through social housing, HAP and Homeless HAP. Significant resources are being provided to support this response. Budget 2026 provided a total allocation of €563.5 million to address homelessness

satisfied the scheme that has gone through this House and through the Seanad, which has been approved by Government, is an effective scheme that will work. The Deputy obviously has a lot of technical questions and I am very happy to get him a note on it from … Department of housing, which will hopefully address some of his concerns or at least clarify a number of his questions which he can then affirm or disagree with, if necessary

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures his Department is taking to ensure that the delivery of large-scale housing developments is matched by the guaranteed provision of essential community infrastructure, including community centres, libraries, childcare and other local amenities

will always support housing and building it, but in my constituency, the communities need to be built at the same time. Belmayne and Clongriffin have been developing for 20 years, yet residents are still waiting for basic infrastructure and services to catch up, and building is continuing … pace. Will the Minister commit to ensuring that major housing delivery is matched and funded with timely delivery of community facilities, healthcare, childcare, transport and other essential services

fhadhb ná go mbíonn daoine ag bogadh chuig na háiteanna seo, ach níl an t-infreastruchtúr iontu. People are moving into these houses now, but those things are not there. They are told the infrastructure will come five or ten years down the road, but they … services for the residents will be delivered at the same pace? The people who have contacted my office are not opposed to housing. They are asking that we build sustainable communities

hear the Deputy's concerns. It is very important that, where we are delivering housing, infrastructure and regeneration to support housing, community supports are also put in place, along with the additional supports that are required from other Departments. I will ensure we have a cross-government approach

Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the income eligibility limits for social housing in Cavan and Monaghan will be increased. [69157/26

number of counties, particularly rural and western seaboard counties, in an exceptionally disadvantaged position, even with an increase? Can he also give the House an update on his Department's consideration of index-linking social housing eligibility thresholds to some sensible index in the future to ensure that

numerous occasions, and as I have heard from our councillors in Cavan and from all the officials at all ranks in the housing division in Cavan County Council, it is a big issue that we deal with on a daily basis. Good, genuine, hard-working people are coming … have to ensure that they are given the opportunity to get their own home. We cannot emphasise strongly enough how successful social housing policy has been for decades in this country. We want to continue that. We need a good mix of people in every community and every

Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being considered to increase the number of affordable-to-buy housing units provided by local councils. [69263/26

Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, in light of the fact that IS465 now includes the testing of foundations for deleterious materials, if existing legislation will be amended of a statutory instrument signed so that the defective concrete block scheme will

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Government if his Department is considering measures to deal with disputes between neighbours over trees or other vegetation on private land, particularly where those trees are blocking sunlight; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department plans to review boundaries in advance of the 2029 Local Election; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47559/26

Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the number of Mobility Aids Grants annually approved but not drawn down by the application as they are unable to fund part or all of works needed up front; the assistance

Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total landholding of his Department, broken down by county, including the amount currently unused or vacant, the portion zoned for development, and the number of sites that include vacant or derelict properties. [47628/26

Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the basis on which he decided not to intervene in respect of lands at Strandhill, County Sligo (details supplied); whether his office received any representations from any landowner, developer, or public representative in relation to those

Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has concerns that the lack of a minimum threshold under Regulation (EU) 2024/900 in relation to hosting an online transparency notice may place serious burdens on those engaged in political life, particularly at local

Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider making grant aid available to persons on limited incomes seeking to purchase and install modular homes in line with the Planning and Development Act 2024; and if he will make a statement

Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the local authority home loan funding model will be extended to allow for the purchase and installation of modular homes under the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47858/26

Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has examined the practice of other enforcement bodies, including An Garda Síochána, where staffing numbers without any identifying information are published by geographical area; whether any assessment has been carried out of whether

Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current staffing position for NPWS enforcement roles covering east Cork and Waterford, including conservation ranger, district conservation officer and regional manager roles; the length of any vacancies in those areas; the temporary cover arrangements

Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has carried out any analysis of the relationship between NPWS staffing levels, vacancy duration and enforcement outcomes, including inspections, Ministerial directions, warnings, prosecutions and other enforcement actions arising from reports of alleged unlawful

Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children aged 12 years or younger currently in special arrangement houses; the average length of their stay; and the way in which those figures compare to one year ago and two years ago. [46868/26

review carried out in his Department on the system of means tests for carer supports; if he will lay the report before the house; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46267/26

National Transport Authority has examined traffic congestion at the Donaghmede roundabout and on the adjoining Clarehall road, particularly in light of the significant housing development that has taken place in the surrounding area in recent years; the changes to the layout of the junction, including the possible replacement

secondary school, or the current plans for the expansion of existing schools serving the Shankill/Woodbrook area of Dublin which has experienced significant housing development in recent years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46754/26

Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the price the Land Development Agency (LDA) paid for the acquisition of a site in the Jamestown Industrial Estate, Finglas, Dublin 11; the plans the Land Development Agency has for the site and could

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason he repealed the requirement that election material display the name of the printer and the publisher of the material; the consultation he took in advance of this decision; and if he will make

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to urgently examine a case (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46516/26

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the SHCEP tables on his Department's website will be updated to include Q4 2025 data. [46542/26

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the analysis that has been conducted within his Department or in consultation with the Office of Public Works on the estimated cost of purchasing the remaining ten properties on the historic Moore Street terrace adjacent

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the cost to the Exchequer and the total cost, including borrowing and so on, for affordable cost rental and affordable purchase homes delivered in 2025, by delivery stream including, AHP local authority delivery, AHP turnkey

Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when local authority, Dáil Éireann and European election boundaries will be revised; the timeline and approach to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46679/26

Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of updated costs for each local authority to employ an archaeologist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46700/26

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated cost of increasing Heritage Council funding by 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and by the cost of inflation since Budget 2026. [46826/26