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Minister of State said, an incredibly significant piece of work. It is on a par with the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, Housing in Ireland 2005 report. It is a benchmark piece of work which I would like to think all of us will return … welcome today's debate but, of course, a debate is not enough. I hope we get the Government's support when the Oireachtas housing committee is formed to ensure we can further this discussion in a more detailed form by inviting in former members of the commission

chultúr. I welcome and support the motion. It is of vital importance to the Gaeltacht and the Irish language and culture. Difficulties with housing in Gaeltacht areas is of course part of the housing emergency that exists in the State, an issue that continues to undermine the very … society. Failed Government policies have resulted in 17,000 homeless people, along with almost 5,500 homeless children, exorbitant rip-off rents, skyrocketing house prices, large numbers of young people living in their childhood bedrooms and even larger numbers locked out of home ownership. The only

very disappointing to again see the Minister's failure to support a measure which could help the housing crisis. I thank Sinn Féin and Deputy Doherty for bringing forward the motion. Unfortunately, it is one of many areas where we are seeing the Government claiming that its policies … being developed to promote affordable housing and to promote delivery of housing but, in fact, they are, what I think describes it very accurately, "designed to fail". The Minister had no interest in banning or stopping institutional investors from buying up properties, or buying up what they actually

move: That Dáil Éireann: recalls that: — under Housing for All - A new Housing Plan for Ireland, the failed housing plan of the last Government, a target of 33,450 new homes were projected for 2024 but only 30,030 homes were built, a decrease of 6.7 per cent … while the construction of new apartments fell by almost a quarter; — the former Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage told the Dáil in October 2024 "I have consistently said we will exceed that target. I still confidently predict … that it will be the high 30,000s

reassert the Government's commitment and determination to tackle the challenges that exist in our housing sector. We understand the need to ensure that sufficient numbers of homes are delivered, be they social, affordable or private, and that is why we are working tirelessly to address the blockages … made in recent years, as outlined by the Minister, Deputy James Browne, in his opening statement, including those relating to social and affordable housing delivery, and to set out the key changes introduced and our plans ahead to scale up the supply of housing across all tenure types

would be hard to oppose the Housing Finance Agency (Amendment) Bill. It is increasing the finance available, which is needed. The key issue is that it is at low interest rates. I do not know if a portion of it is coming from the European Investment Bank … markets or a mixture of both. The Minister of State might outline that in his reply. We are in the middle of a housing crisis like we have never seen before. We really need to try to deal with it. The cost and speed of delivery

housing crisis situation is an emergency and I ask the Minister to take this motion on board. I thank its proposers for tabling it. There are many ideas in it that we in the Social Democrats have put forward. It was ten years ago, when I was involved … with trade union groups and housing campaigns, that we called on Fine Gael, which was in government at the time, to declare the housing crisis an emergency. Every year since, homelessness has risen, except of course during a Covid year, and we have seen house prices and rents

thank the Minister of State for being here today. I appreciate the opportunity to speak on such an important issue. The housing crisis is the single greatest issue facing my generation, including young people like me trying to get a start in life, those … quality of life, a better chance abroad, working families caught in a rental trap or not being able to afford a mortgage, social housing waiting lists and older people or pensioners who are caught renting and worried about their tenure for years to come relying on a pension

welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is very disappointing, yet again, that we do not have even a Minister of State from the Department of housing. I tabled a housing motion in the Dáil last week with my Labour Party colleagues. The Minister for housing … even have the courtesy to contact me or my colleague, Deputy Bacik, to say he could not come to the House. I understand there was a convention before that when the line Minister was not available, the Minister would contact the sponsor of the motion. I am disappointed

move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The Bill intends to make an amendment to the Housing Finance Agency Acts 1981 to 2024. Section 1 of the Bill amends section 10 of the Housing Finance Agency Act 1981 to increase the agency's statutory borrowing … billion to €13.5 billion. Section 2 of the Bill sets out the Short Title, collective citation and construction. The mission of the Housing Finance Agency, HFA, is to facilitate the delivery of social and affordable housing in Ireland and to advance funds to local authorities, approved housing bodies

express my full support for the Government's plans to raise the Housing Finance Agency's borrowing limit from €12 billion to €13.5 billion. This is an important and vital investment in Ireland's future. It gives the agency the funding needed to help to deliver more social … affordable houses throughout the country. We are facing a serious housing crisis. To solve, it we need to use every tool available. Making sure the agency has enough money to do its job is one of the most important steps we can take. The agency is a public

move: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: "Dáil Éireann resolves that the Social Housing Passport Bill 2026 be deemed to be read a second time this day twelve months, to allow for further consideration of the proposals in the Bill.". Before I go into … will, however, move the timed amendment. We need balance. We represent different constituencies and different local authorities. I remember the approach to social housing allocations in Cork being amended. Cork moved away from a localised allocation and broadened it to the entire county. That change was met with

willing to come into the Chamber. Other people grandstand, shout and roar about housing. I am glad and proud that this Government is strongly focused. The provision of more housing is one of the main objectives of this Government. We must ensure protection for people who are looking … their own houses or to rent local authority houses or houses provided by approved housing agencies. We have, however, many difficulties to overcome. I wish to highlight an initiative about which the Opposition has been silent. I thank the Minister for his work and compliment him strongly

thank everybody for their contributions. I reassert the Government's commitment to tackling the challenges we collectively face in the housing sector. As a 37-year-old, I am acutely aware of the impact these challenges have on my generation and those younger than me. I have taken … will touch on a couple of them. Standardised templates were referenced. They have been in place since 2022 for all social housing projects. Reference was made to the single-stage approval process. We are committed in the programme for Government to reducing red tape and streamlining the approval

thank the Minister, Deputy Browne. The Government's commitment to housing continues to be its top priority. Budget 2026 reinforces this commitment with unprecedented levels of funding allocated to housing. The Government is committed to delivering more affordable homes to buy and to rent. The capital funding being … return vacant and derelict properties to use. Unprecedented levels of capital investment will support the delivery of new homes for households on social housing waiting lists and for those who cannot afford market rents. The funding being made available in budget 2026 will ensure that the social housing

Government will oppose this Bill, but I welcome the opportunity to speak about the role of Government measures to support access to affordable housing and assist those aspiring to buy their own home. We continue to deliver the first affordable homes in a generation and are supporting increasing … supply in this area. Quarter 1 of 2025 has seen the continued strong performance of the various affordable housing pathways, with affordable delivery increasing by over 49% over levels achieved in the same quarter of 2024. This Bill proposes to put additional financial reporting requirements in place

welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill and support its passage on Second Stage. Ireland faces a housing infrastructure challenge that is well known to every Member of this House. Families are struggling to access affordable housing, communities need vital infrastructure to be delivered and businesses require … must always be open to challenges where genuine legal issues arise, but we must recognise that lengthy and complex court procedures can delay housing, public infrastructure and investment projects for years and years, as the Minister of State can see himself. I welcome the reforms in the Bill

believes these arguments about distraction and that it might “delay delivery ... by creating uncertainty in the market”. The idea that a right to housing would create uncertainty in the market is nonsense. Did the Government ask the institutional investors for their response to this Bill and this … This is not serious. As Deputy Gibney said, it is disingenuous. It is not a serious engagement with this Bill, the work the Housing Commission put in, the work of the original convention in 2014, as Deputy Ó Broin pointed out, or with the work

since 2011, I would say, and successive governments since then ignored all the signals that would tell them a problem was emerging in housing. Local councils even ignored it. They massaged the figures to make things look better and pretended there was no problem when, in fact, there … massive and growing problem. I was often criticised during those years when I raised the issue of housing and the fact that it was not being delivered at a pace to meet the demand. When I look back now, I think I was right about it. A year

join with other speakers in supporting this Bill mainly because it is further money being committed to providing for houses for the people that are on waiting lists for so long. I draw the Minister's attention to the work of the local authorities or county councils because … Deputy Gould that they should do more and I believe he is correct. They should be asked to do more. They were the housing authorities up to the time that the agencies came in, were able to apply for the money and took over their role. I want

comments made by the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, earlier and reassert this Government's commitment and determination to tackle the challenges in housing. Housing is a cross-sectoral challenge that has a real impact on people's lives. Our goal remains a housing system that serves … inputs here today do not fairly represent the efforts and progress made to date. The motion claims that the Government is not treating housing with the urgency that it deserves, but we have laid a strong and secure foundation that will allow us to continue to ramp

focus on and give time to a discussion on the solutions that will solve this crisis for those people. I thank the Housing Commission members for producing the report. It is an important piece of work. I do not agree with all of it and there are issues … private operators or private hospitals to tell us how to run our public health system or develop Sláintecare policy. In developing the new Housing for All iteration, I ask that the Minister focus on housing needs. I ask that he focus not on vested interests, but rather

going to support it. Deputy Ó Broin had similar Bills in the previous Dáil. I had a Bill on the right to housing in 2021 that amazingly passed. I think that was a mistake - the Government forgot to call a vote, so we got the right to housing … referendum Bill passed. Of course, nothing was done about it and the housing situation has continued to get worse. The number of people in homeless and emergency accommodation has worsened steadily. At that stage when the Bill was passed, it was probably below 10,000 and since then

first thing is that I think everyone is in agreement with Croí Cónaithe. It is a good thing and is getting more houses done. I think the cabin at the back of the house is a good thing. I would like if it was 200 sq. ft bigger … size as the modular homes, but if anything is good let us say that it is good if it all helps in the housing sector. Let us look at the facts, however, in social and affordable housing. Why do we have architects designing houses

move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: - the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and former Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien TD, repeatedly promised to deliver 40,000 homes last year but spectacularly failed, with just 30,330 homes delivered; - housing delivery is not just slowing down … reducing, with a drop in housing delivery of nearly 7 per cent between 2024 and 2023; - members of the Government have briefed the media that without a dramatic reset of housing policy, there is virtually no chance of reaching their own housing targets; - the Taoiseach has stated this

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority owned houses currently lying vacant in County Mayo; the reasons these properties remain idle; and the steps being taken to bring them back into use as social housing, particularly in light … ongoing homelessness and housing shortages. [35805/26

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average length of time council houses remain vacant before being reallocated; whether targets exist for bringing such houses back into use; and if specific action will be taken regarding vacant properties in Swinford, given … increasing number of people struggling to secure permanent housing. [35809/26

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether he is aware that his Department has excluded political staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas from accessing the 3% local bargaining fund under Building Momentum, despite the 2022 agreement which linked political staff to public service … agreements; whether he has been made aware that his Department and the Houses of the Oireachtas have been refusing to engage with a union (details supplied) in the WRC on this matter to date; whether he is aware that under the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if any local authorities requested additional funding for Housing Adaptation Grants so far in 2026; if he is aware that several local authorities have already closed applications for housing adaptation grants, citing their total funding … year had already been allocated; to provide a breakdown, by local authority, of Housing Adaptation Grant funding allocations for 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of grants approved and refused in each county; the way in which these allocations compare with population levels, including the population

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the Housing Activation Office has assessed the impact on water and wastewater infrastructure availability for new housing in the greater Dublin area arising from the Passenger Capacity Bill 2026 which, according to evidence given … determined solely by airline demand with no departmental target or upper limit; whether he is satisfied that the infrastructure unlocked by the Housing Activation Office's €1 billion fund will not be consumed by airport expansion that has undergone no strategic environmental assessment; and if he will make

Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which his Department intends to reconcile its requirement that social housing regeneration proposals should not result in a reduction in housing density with the current refurbishment proposals for Oliver Bond House in Dublin

Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on whether the smaller than national minimum standard two-bed units of 48 square metres planned for the regeneration of Oliver Bond House in Dublin 8 would contribute to the poorer mental health, negative … child development outcomes, and broader public health risks linked to inadequate housing space, including a reported 2.4 times higher incidence of respiratory illness among residence of Oliver Bond House compared with the wider practise population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22307/26

Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to review or increase the income eligibility thresholds for social housing support administered by Wexford County Council; the housing options available for households, particularly working couples, whose incomes are marginally above … social housing threshold but cannot afford private rental accommodation and may be at risk of homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21272/26

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has assessed the potential use of modular housing to accommodate workers involved in major infrastructure projects such as MetroLink; whether this approach could help reduce pressure on the private rental market in areas experiencing acute housing demand … likelihood of such proposals proceeding; the process by which modular housing manufacturers can engage with his Department or approved housing bodies for delivery of units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18483/26

Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the action he proposes to take to address the growing housing deficit given that Government never met their targets for social and affordable housing delivery under Housing for All; if he will revise the targets contained

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding levels to local authorities, by county, for the disability adaptation to housing stock scheme for council houses and adaptation grants for people with disabilities for private houses. [17607/26

Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will provide funding to Sligo and Leitrim and Donegal local authorities to carry out repairs to local authority houses that are occupied and also to return void houses to the housing stock

Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether current housing policy adequately recognises the need for housing models that allow adults with intellectual disabilities to live near friends and established support networks, rather than being placed in isolated or inappropriate settings such … nursing homes or scattered housing far from their community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14467/26

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to expedite reform of the National Planning Guidelines for One-Off Housing and give particular attention to areas under significant urban pressure that is, the single biggest contributing factor to local people being refused planning permission … roads adjoining national routes outside the 60 km speed limit; if will he take into consideration that refusing applicants one-off housing, is forcing them onto the housing list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11487/26

Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to extend the development contributions waiver scheme for houses commenced after 31 December 2024 for one-off housing and self-build housing. [10663/26

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has engaged with the Departments of Enterprise, Justice, and Further & Higher Education on the cumulative housing impact of employment- and study-related migration following the EU–India free trade agreement; whether … estimate has been made of additional housing demand arising from projected permit, student, and dependant inflows; whether housing delivery targets are being treated as a binding constraint in wider migration-related policy decisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9777/26

Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the data that is held or collated by his Department at national level regarding applicants to local authority housing waiting lists who entered the State via a country other than their country of origin; whether such … comprehensive national dataset exists, the reasons for this; the assessment that has been made by his Department of the impact of current social housing eligibility policies on housing availability and waiting times for existing applicants; the role his Department plays in setting or reviewing the eligibility framework applied

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the basis on which Uisce Éireann requires a minimum of 25 houses before considering a new public water connection or network extension; if he has assessed the impact of the 25 house requirement on rural … housing delivery; if there are any plans for his Department to review this requirement, with a view to introducing flexibility for rural communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8550/26

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline for the preparation of a national planning statement regarding rural housing and housing within Gaeltacht areas, as promised by the Government in its national housing plan; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether, in light of representations from the construction sector, including concerns raised by an organisation (details supplied), he accepts that lower first home scheme price ceilings in counties such as Tipperary are actively discouraging private housing … developers face higher construction costs without corresponding scheme support; the assessment that has been undertaken of the impact of price ceilings on housing supply, particularly in regional and Border counties; if the six-monthly review process adequately reflects real construction costs and market conditions, rather than solely historic

Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the responsibilities a county council continues to have for people on their housing list after they allocate them housing with a housing body where issues with maintenance or other works arise; and if he will make

Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can provide details of the options open to a person or family in need of housing who earn over the income limit to qualify for social housing, who are paying rent … able to save for a deposit yet are under the income threshold for housing deemed to be affordable by the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3132/26

Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to review or increase the income eligibility thresholds for social housing support administered by Dublin City Council; and the housing options available for households, particularly working couples, whose incomes are marginally above … social housing threshold but who cannot afford private rental accommodation and may be at risk of homelessness (details supplied). [2689/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department currently collects or holds construction and delivery cost data at individual housing unit level for social housing schemes funded or approved by his Department; if not, when a decision was taken … collect such data; who authorised that approach; and whether he intends to introduce unit-level cost reporting for future social housing delivery. [73643/25

Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 16 of 15 May 2025, if he will provide an update on the research being undertaken to develop a new social housing eligibility model; if this research has progressed further; whether … consultation with stakeholders has commenced; if, arising from this research, there will be any increase to social housing income thresholds in line with commitments under the Housing for All Action Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71624/25