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context of rising prices businesses push up the cost because they know they can do so. We can see this in housing and basic grocery foods. In what is likely to be another situation of rising costs for working people, the Irish Government has to look … intervene and keep costs low and how we can support employment. One of the areas is housing. Unfortunately, the Government's housing policy, just like its wider economic policy, has left us more vulnerable than we should be to this economic catastrophe that is hitting. The over-reliance

unfortunate phenomenon in recent years has been the conflation in people's minds of prefabricated housing and modular housing. High-quality modular housing is a permanent housing solution. Prefabricated models like the prefabs provided for Ukrainian refugees were expensive and had a poor BER rating of C. These … modern modular housing units are permanent solutions and are extremely energy efficient. By setting up a supply and manufacturing line, it is possible to manufacture houses every day of the week for 12 months of the year. This is the beauty of this approach. One of these homes

approved bus service under BusConnects. It will be linked to the city very efficiently. Carrignavar has not seen a new housing development in over ten years because its wastewater treatment plant is at capacity. It is a perfect example. It got a new school. When … would be a missed opportunity if we did not at least explore that. The second issue I wish to raise is social housing. Since July 2020, 42,000 social homes have been added to the social housing stock nationally while 2023 saw 12,000 new builds, acquisitions

where my colleague, Deputy Sheehan, left off. What the Government intends to do if it implements all the recommendations from the Department of housing is turn a scheme, albeit an imperfect one, that was keeping people out of homelessness into a zombie scheme. It will be a scheme … existed for the last number of years, is a function of a dysfunctional market. It would not exist if we had a housing system that functioned but we do not. Unfortunately, we needed a tenant in situ scheme to keep families, single people and couples without children

parliamentary reporters could nearly copy and paste his words into my speech. I am not being trite in saying that. The biggest housing issue that is raised in the emails that come into my inbox every week relate to threatened evictions and homelessness. I congratulate the Minister … have had constituents come to me whose tenants have not paid the rent for a year or 18 months and have trashed the house. There must be penalties for tenants who do that. As I said, homelessness is the biggest issue. I will focus now on chapter

welcome the opportunity to speak on the Housing Commission's report. The commission commenced its work in January 2023 and published its report in May 2024. It has taken this long for the Government, under pressure, to put it on the clár oibre agus díospóireacht a bheith againn … public consultation that attracted 897 responses which told those of us in opposition what we already new, namely that there is a serious housing crisis. The commission did not put a tooth in it. Many issues jump out at me. I have read the whole report. Ireland

improve our approach where we identify obstacles to meet our targets. In that regard, we want to work collectively with Deputies throughout the House to bring forward solutions to the challenges that we face. This requires addressing the many challenges around housing delivery to achieve that shared goal … rather than creating further obstacles or difficulties. Addressing Ireland's housing shortage requires a substantial increase in the supply of new homes for purchase and rent. In that respect, simplifications are not constructive. They do not build homes and they set public opinion against channels that

indicative of a Government that is unwilling to listen to new ideas. When this country was dirt poor, the State built houses. It built the estates of Marino, Crumlin and Ballymun. In towns and cities across the country, councils built housing for our people. Now, however, with unprecedented … year when there are at least 88,000 vacant homes. The Minister talks about the private sector. A significant proportion of the overall housing budget is going directly to the private sector not to build homes but as an income stream, through the rental accommodation scheme, the housing

have serious concerns that this measure will further inflate house prices. It is not just us in the Social Democrats that are saying it; the ESRI in previous research and also the Central Bank highlighted that schemes like help to buy have an inflationary impact on the housing … market. When we look at six years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael budgets and housing policy, what has happened to house prices? The median house price in 2020 was €250,000. It is now €396,000. Six years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have added

know we have it now and we have to go on. As of April, 3,150 households in Donegal were waiting for social housing. Given the ongoing housing crisis and sustained demand, that number will almost certainly rise in the coming months. At the same time, potentially … more. Thousands are waiting for a home while existing homes are at risk of being lost. This is a contradiction because social housing supply is an issue, and we cannot afford to get this wrong like we have done in the past with the two schemes that have

have asked the Taoiseach repeatedly about the social housing income thresholds. We have had promise after promise that something is going to be done about them. Every single week, pretty much, people are coming to me who find that they have been on a housing list for five … time is gone. They are left in limbo but their income is not enough to be able to get cost-rental or affordable housing. It is so unfair. At the beginning of 2023, when the Government last raised the limits - it had to be pushed on that

move amendment No. 24: In page 15, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: “Social housing assessment: transfer and recognition 11.The Act of 2009 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 20B (inserted by section 8): “Social housing passport 20C.(1) Where … housing authority (in this section referred to as the ‘assessing authority’) has determined under section 20 that a household is qualified for social housing support, and a member of that household subsequently establishes a connection with the functional area of another housing authority (in this section referred

said about the changes being made to apartment guidelines. It stated very clearly that professional planners not only recognise the gravity of the housing crisis, they welcome meaningful evidence-based reforms but the institute is not convinced that the announced changes to apartment sizes and standards would achieve … what is intended. It said the erosion of unit mix requirements presents a market-led approach to housing that is fundamentally at odds with the significant work undertaken by the Department of housing to create a plan-led system with high-quality long-term sustainable outcomes. That

Bill. It is a long and technical Bill. One aspect of it is that it seeks to raise the borrowing limit of the Housing Finance Agency, which is fine. However, the other aspects are quite technical and detailed. Deputy Ó Broin alluded to a recurring theme across Departments … just the Department of housing, whereby the deadline for Committee Stage amendments to Bills is given before the Second Stage debate. I do not appreciate that and it does not set a good precedent. In many cases, Second Stage allows us to tease out queries, issues or concerns

citizen to penetrate. It is not unique to this legislation. It is something that we do as a matter of course in this House but I think it is bad practice. We should be able to pick up the law and read it and have an idea … there for everyone to read. It is a simple thing that we could do as a general practice in this House but we do not. That is obviously a drafting point that will get exactly no traction with anyone outside this House but it is pertinent to this

would like the Government to give a commitment to ensuring that that will not be the case. Second, on the issue of housing, it really is incredible. Housing, as the President of the European Council, Mr. António Costa, said at the ceremony today, is one of the biggest … issues facing Europe today, but yet when you look at the Government's plans for the Presidency, there was not a mention of housing in the 13 pages of the two speeches. It is incredible. Across Europe today, there is a generation who cannot afford

Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Limerick and other areas because I live in an area where we had the blight of pyrite. So many housing estates in our area were affected because the quarry was situated there. It did not regulate itself and there was a lack of Government regulation … number of homes affected by the defective blocks could rise to 20,000. That is up from the 9,500 mentioned at the housing committee last year. Only 435 houses built with defective concrete blocks, or 13% of the homes, have had remediation works and the State-funded

regime reaching €35 million, or up to 7% of a company’s global turnover. That is what we are discussing here. Yet, this House is being invited to waive through this legislation on the understanding that it is just a little bit of housekeeping. That is the Government … which has not yet been fully written. For that reason, and for that reason alone, to rush this Bill through should tell this House that for the reasons I have outlined we need to scrutinise this legislation far more closely, have far more time on this debate

point on Committee Stage that, with NAMA there was a massive lost opportunity in terms of what could have been delivered in affordable housing for people. NAMA took on 60,000 individual assets, sites, land banks that should and could have been used to create affordable housing … people of this country. That would have made a massive difference and would have meant we were not in the housing crisis that we are now. Instead, we saw land banks and in some cases housing almost completely finished and unfinished housing sold on at discount rates that

thank the Minister of State for taking this issue on behalf of the Minister for housing. Arklow is a fine coastal town with Viking heritage but for a long time, its infrastructural development had been held back because of the lack of wastewater capacity. In May of last … importance of such strategic infrastructure not just in terms of cleaning up the Avoca River and for environmental reasons, but critically to provide housing within the community of Arklow and south Wicklow. He pointed out that the wastewater treatment plant could end up supporting a population

analyse the figures and talk to people, population growth is a key area, but we also need to respond in terms of social housing, for example. We are building more houses in direct builds per annum now than since the foundation of the State. Last year, over … social houses alone were built. Ultimately, the provision of increased social housing is the best route to dealing with homelessness. No other way will sustainably deal with it. In addition to that, we are building a lot of affordable homes and giving a lot of support to people

Fine Gael have neglected Dublin city's and county's flat communities. I am talking about inner-city flat complexes like Pearse House, Oliver Bond House, St. Michan's House and Dolphin House but also suburban schemes like Cromcastle Court in Coolock and Balgaddy in my constituency. These … resilient communities that have been utterly failed by successive Governments. So bad were the failures that in 2014, residents from 20 council housing estates supported by the Community Action Network and others took the Irish Government to the European Committee of Social Rights. After listening

point. Its objective is to accelerate the provision of infrastructure in energy, transport, water and other sectors to get more housing built, make progress towards our climate objectives and support the continued social and economic development of our nation. Its rapid development and progression serve as a tangible … equivalent to a 25% to 30% deficit in capital stock compared to our peers. What this means in practical terms is not enough housing to provide accommodation for our people, it means not enough renewable electricity to reach our climate targets and it means more time spent

energy, transport and water sectors as a priority. This infrastructure is necessary to underpin all other development in the State from housing, which is the most important infrastructure we need, to other economic and social investments. A recent Government circular established a mandatory cross-government process … programmes as critical infrastructure by order to be laid before Dáil Éireann, meaning every specific project will have to be laid before this House and if a resolution annulling the order is passed within the next 21 sitting days, the order shall be annulled. There will, therefore

Dáil on the modification and expansion of the buy and renew scheme. I am taking this question on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Department has a number of schemes in place targeted at increasing the supply of social housing and working towards … ending dereliction. That is a key priority of the Government’s housing policy, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. We are all aware of the existing schemes in croí cónaithe around the vacant refurbishment grant. The Department is finalising specific details on the updated buy and renew scheme

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will commit to publishing an annual housing affordability report, benchmarking average house prices, average incomes, mortgage serviceability ratios, and availability of homes by region, to ensure transparency in policy-making. [53117/25

Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage with regard to the 'Section 28 Guidelines - NPF Implementation: Housing Growth Requirements' which issued in July 2025 and which contain the new annual housing supply targets for all local authorities, which display targets that appear

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps being taken, and the support being offered, by his Department, to local authorities to hasten the turnaround of void and vacant local authority housing making them available for use by housing applicants. [53730/25

Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the compilation of a central database within his Department of all social and affordable housing capital projects delivered or being delivered under its housing programme; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the plans to adjust the social housing income limits upwards to reflect house inflation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52691/25

number of people both at risk of poverty and in material deprivation; if he is aware that 'consistent poverty' fails to account for housing costs; if he will consider using both 'material deprivation' and 'at risk of poverty after housing costs' as alternative measures for future national child … will ensure all research commissioned on the topic of child poverty utilises both 'material deprivation' and 'at risk of poverty after housing costs' when measuring poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50375/25

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage , further to Parliamentary Question No. 276 of 1 October 2024, if he has engaged with the Housing Agency to ensure that it is actually adhering to this guideline (details supplied); if he is aware that … affected homeowners in Donegal, who have had their Government-approved engineer’s recommendation for remediation, overruled by the Housing Agency, have escalated their cases to the EU Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50862/25

Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when additional funding will be provided in 2025 to Cavan County Council for the housing aid for older people grant, the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability and the mobility aids grant scheme. [51088/25

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the Summary Social Housing Assessment 2025 for Cork city, the current net need figure; the number of households who remain without social housing support; the steps he is taking to accelerate delivery in high

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on his plans for further funding of local authorities for the housing adaptation grant schemes and increasing housing adaptation and mobility and access grant amounts to cover the cost

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has reviewed the affordable housing scheme and issues arising from it; if any further affordable housing is due to come on stream in county Louth in the next 12-months

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will detail the plans to deal with the change in CAS funding now being part of the overall local authority social housing acquisition fund and not as easily accessible for disability approved housing

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has assessed the impact of bulk-purchasing by State housing agencies on market prices for new homes; the number of homes purchased directly from developers by approved housing bodies and local authorities

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to detail the proportion of newly built housing units in 2024 and 2025 that were purchased by State agencies or approved housing bodies, as opposed to being made available for private sale; and his views

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average cost per unit of new build social housing delivered in 2024 by social housing investment programme, by type (details supplied), in tabular form. [48022/25

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to urgently amend the National Planning Framework and the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines, 2005 as county development plans are aligned with these national policies which prohibits many applicants building a family home on their own land … details supplied); if he will accept that the current guidelines are most unreasonable and if he is serious about trying to address the housing crisis that these amendments must be introduced as a matter of extreme urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48132/25

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the means by which his Department is addressing the role of high housing costs in driving child poverty; and whether he accepts that housing affordability is now a primary driver of deprivation among families. [48348/25

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether Cork City Council and Cork County Council will receive proportionate infrastructure funding to deliver on regional housing targets, given the concentration of new housing spend in Dublin. [48388/25

Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the role the newly established Housing Activation Office will play in assisting local authorities to meet the housing targets set out in the Revised National Planning Framework; and the way in which this will accelerate delivery

Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way his Department is working with other Government departments and agencies to address labour capacity constraints in the construction sector; and the measures being considered to ensure that workforce availability does not become a bottleneck … achieving housing targets under Housing for All. [48567/25

Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the implementation of the Modern Methods of Construction Action Plan; and the way these innovations are being integrated into public housing delivery under Housing for All. [48570/25

Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of households currently on the social housing list in counties Sligo and Leitrim; the number of households on the social housing transfer list in counties Sligo and Leitrim; and if he will make

Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the legislative observations made by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in relation to the general scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024; if he is aware … under Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 regarding the proposals contained in the general scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024; if the steps or actions have included the preparation of any human rights and equality impact assessments

Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to increase the income thresholds for social housing, as many working families who are not on high incomes are excluded from applying for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44855/25

Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, in respect of the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015 and the tenant incremental purchase scheme 2016, a council tenant can purchase the property they currently reside in if it is an apartment