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people coming out to demand action on funding for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht as well as action on education, the housing crisis and language rights. The turnout speaks to, on the one hand, a moment for the Irish language of a renewal or resurgence from below … turn funding has grown significantly over the same period. Does the Government agree that Foras na Gaeilge needs to be properly funded? The housing crisis is right across the country, but it is particularly acute in Gaeltacht areas. The figures are striking. There are approximately 1,000 Airbnbs

country are here today. I very much welcome the motion before us, brought forward by the Labour Party. I also welcome the housing Minister here today. Housing is fundamental when it comes to child poverty. The rates of child poverty have doubled in the past year … five children across Ireland is below the poverty line. The rate is increasing every year. The Minister is no doubt aware that housing is one of the biggest contributors to this. The knock-on consequences for children waking up in a hotel room and going to school

states that they can place them wherever they like within their farms? This could be within 2 or 3 metres of someone's house where there is shadow flicker. They can also be placed near a school. The World Health Organization, WHO, said it should be 1 metre … metre for every 4. If an application for a wind turbine is successful and if someone wants to build a house within 3 km of a wind turbine, the wind turbine owners can object. What are their objections? They are that these wind turbines may cause shadow flicker

what each Deputy said, but I listened very carefully. It is apparent that there are a couple of things that everyone in this House agrees on. It is worth emphasising that. There is a benefit in having this debate. If this Chamber does not debate contentious and divisive … listened carefully to the views that were expressed here. One of the aspects of the debate that is agreed across the House is that racism is unacceptable. We saw it in the attacks that were perpetrated on members of the Indian community. As I said to the Indian

children, which is unacceptable. If offenders face no accountability or consequences, they become emboldened and continue such harmful behaviour. I can tell the House about parts of my constituency where a feral gang goes in and out of an apartment complex and have literally taken over the common … drugs problem seems to affect many of our more vulnerable members of society. Unfortunately, the problem is found more in areas with social housing than in other areas. Drugs affect all of society but it is very much concentrated in areas with social housing. There is a connection

know the level of homelessness is at record highs. The key to tackling homelessness and the housing crisis is ensuring increased supply, but the number of planning permissions for new housing is falling and house prices and rents are rising. We were originally led to believe the Government … housing plan would be published over the summer. It was then delayed, and now it is said it will be later this year. When will the Government's plan be published? Specifically on the Land Development Agency, a report from the Department of Finance has found the agency

that clearly. People in rural parishes and urban estates will not measure this plan by the glossy brochure launched in the Mansion House. Rather, they will measure it by whether their son finally gets his spinal surgery, their daughter finally gets access to a speech and language therapist … real challenge is creating jobs in every town and village and helping small local businesses to employ disabled people with real support. Housing is central to dignity. The strategy is tied to the national housing plan, but housing for disabled people has been kicked down the road

children homeless in the State. Today, there are 5,000 children homeless in the State. The Government misled the State about 40,000 houses being built last year when 10,000 of those homes never materialised. The Government promised 41,000 homes would be built this year … ESRI has stated the Government will not make next year's targets either. The Government has made record-breaking house prices, record-breaking rents and record-breaking numbers of people who are homeless at the moment. I asked the Minister for housing about how long it took

also notable and unusual that everyone who spoke is very much in favour of the legislation, with full support across the House. I welcome that. It is important that people who are involved in criminality and generating wealth from it, know that there is unanimity in this House … legitimate comment in respect of the matter. If that is so, those communities need to be informed about the fund. People in this House and elsewhere would be happy to assist them in filling out the application forms. Deputy Ward also asked about a mini-CAB. In fairness

move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to bring the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025 before the House. The Bill was initiated as a Private Members' Bill by Deputy Catherine Ardagh in February and, with her agreement, the Government has decided … determined efforts, including introducing the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill and previously championing it in the Seanad, are to be noted in the House. While this is a programme for Government commitment, I wanted to prioritise it on taking office in the Department of Finance

hope to work together to progress trans healthcare and the Minister of State has the support of many of us across the House. I look forward to working with her to progress that. I thank her for her allyship and her words. They matter to many people … proud to be an openly gay Member of Parliament. I am just one of many from the different parties in the Houses. However, it was not always like this. It was often a lonely path for many. One person in particular who walked that lonely journey was former

advance of the new housing plan in the coming month or so, I stress again the importance of increasing our affordable housing targets. There must be a rebalancing towards affordable housing in the plan's targets. I have made the point previously to the Taoiseach that there … growing cohort of individuals and couples who need support but are not receiving any. Their incomes are above the social housing threshold but are well below what they need in terms of providing accommodation, whether by purchase or rental. They are individuals and couples who have incomes

bring private sector investment into the private rental market and into the apartment area, on top of the huge public sector investment in housing. At present, the main burden of investment in housing is being taken up by the State. The planning Act introduced a major overhaul … planning laws. An Coimisiún Pleanála has been established. A range of house and apartment types and sizes will be developed to meet the different needs of those seeking housing. Not everyone has the same housing need. Positives will come out of this for certain parts of society that

pressures on our system. Of that, there is no doubt. To respond to Deputy McGrath, while the Government is focused on affordable housing, it has to balance that with social housing. Getting more people out of the private rental sector and into social housing would take pressure … absolutely focused on supporting affordability and getting more affordable homes, particularly for those, as the Deputy said, who are above the social housing income threshold but do not have the financial resources available to purchase a home. That is a very significant group of people who need attention

friend. Most of all, they were someone. We need an urgent, co-ordinated and well-funded intervention at every level from housing and justice to education and social protection. This violence does not respect borders. Increased numbers of women and girls are being killed in the North, which … often trapped in violent homes because they simply have nowhere else to go. We must recognise victims of domestic violence as a priority housing category. We must support victims’ choice of location, especially to avoid uprooting children from their schools and support systems. We must make the housing

begin by recognising the survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence present in the House today and the many who will watch this debate over the course of the afternoon. I know many TDs have spoken eloquently on this issue today but we know that words must … followed by action. I draw the attention of the House and the Minister to one particular action, the Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill 2024. My colleague, Senator Malcolm Noonan, along with the Social Democrats and the Labour Party, has reintroduced this Bill into Seanad Éireann. It was introduced during

Like everybody else in this House, I am slightly baffled that we are amending something that has not been enacted as of yet. While I rise to support the Bill and while I believe the Government is taking some steps, it is certainly not taking the steps that … need to be taken in this House when it comes to planning. Everybody in this House, left, right and centre, has pointed out the inadequacy of our planning laws. For instance, people talked about community objections, and I accept them, but I do not accept

county councils and then handed back to them when done. We will get twice the amount of infrastructure and twice the number of houses built. On the purpose of one-off planning, people want to build their own house and now the contributions have been brought back … again. A person building a house on their own land, which will never have a footpath or public lighting, and supplying their own water, is now paying €5,000 to build a house on their own land. They are paying 20% of their mortgage as tax. They

Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025. It is imperative that the Government takes all measures necessary to increase the supply of housing. Let me be clear that no single measure will solve the challenges we face on its own, but I firmly believe the combined effect … measures being introduced through this Bill will have a significant and much-needed impact on the delivery of our housing supply. We all recognise it is important that developers use their permissions. Whether it is for housing or, for example, energy projects, to encourage developers to act quickly

crisis, which we certainly saw last year when 18,500 people came to Ireland seeking asylum. For this reason, I ask that the House approve the three motions before it this afternoon, which seek permission to allow Ireland to opt into the three proposals in the field … opting in. It can opt in pursuant to Article 3 or pursuant to Article 4. With respect to the three motions before the House today, I seek the permission of Dáil Éireann to permit Ireland to opt in pursuant to Article 3, which gives us an opportunity

thank the Deputy for asking this question in relation to an update on the Government's housing plan. The programme for Government commits to the introduction of a new all-of-government national housing plan to follow Housing for All, underpinned by multi-annual funding. Work is well … under way in my Department on the development of this new housing plan. A programme of targeted stakeholder engagement has been undertaken. Written submissions have been received from across government and from a range of external stakeholders, including State agencies, the community and voluntary sector and industry

commencement of the urban development zone sections and the establishment of An Coimisiún Pleanála. The State is delivering approximately 50% of all housing solutions, including from the private sector Part V. Our ambition is to continue delivering as much social and affordable housing as can be delivered … State. We really believe in the delivery of social and affordable housing but if we want to get housing delivery for this country, we have to activate the private sector and that is why we are engaging with many decisions to not only facilitate the quicker delivery

treating it as an emergency. The number seeking social housing is increasing, as it is for cost-rental and affordable and private housing, because the population of this country is exploding as a result of the successful economic steerage of this country. It is a good thing that … population is increasing as a result of our economy. It puts more pressure on me and the Government to deliver even more housing and we are going to do that to meet the increasing population needs. I acknowledge that we need more social housing. There is no question

fully agree with the Deputy that MMC is critical to housing delivery in this country. When modular units were first proposed for schools, for example, there was a little bit of pushback from school principals, who were concerned as many of them had grown up with very poor … School principals then raced to get them because they could be got at such speed. A similar change of mindset is required for housing. It is the way forward. Our tradespeople are getting older and it is becoming more and more difficult to replace them

generate the kind of change environmentally, socially and from an employment of view in this country that many of us in the House believe ought to occur. In the context of Deputy Farrell's chairing of the Oireachtas joint committee on finance, we will deal with procurement issues … procurement system quite difficult and quite onerous from an administrative point of view. There are ways in which we can simplify that. The House often divides when we talk about regulation. I believe in regulation but not overregulation. I believe in smart regulation. One side of the House

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a description of the work of the Housing Activation Office; its workforce plan, objectives and KPIs; to provide a detailed description of the work undertaken so far; to provide a breakdown of the meetings

Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether homeowners under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme are provided with the engineer’s final report relating to their dwelling before being asked to indicate whether they wish to avail of a technical review following … assessment by the Housing Agency under I.S. 465; whether electing to avail of a technical review delays or prevents the issuance of the Remediation Option Grant approval to the relevant local authority; whether, in practice, homeowners may be required to decide whether to seek a technical review before

Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason correspondence issued by the Housing Agency to homeowners under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, following completion of an assessment under I.S. 465:2018, asks homeowners to indicate whether they wish to avail

Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Housing Agency uses a standard template for correspondence under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, specifically the wording asking homeowners to ‘please reply… with your instructions of how you wish to proceed’ after

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of, and average cost per unit, of new build social housing delivered in 2025 by SHIP construction, SHIP turnkey, CALF construction, CALF turnkey, CAS construction, CAS turnkey, Local Authority Part

Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to clarify the way in which savings or deposits should be treated in an application for social housing given the application form does not seek information on savings, only income, yet applications get refused when

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of households in each of the past five years that were within five percent above the social housing income threshold but consequently ineligible for supports; the options available to such households; whether his Department

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the specific supports that exist for long term renting households with stable employment who are ineligible for social housing due to income and simultaneously ineligible for purchase supports due to age; and if he will bring

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he has plans to reform the capital assistance scheme as it applies to approved housing bodies providing accommodation for persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20501/26

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will increase the funding thresholds for three- and four-bedroom houses to reflect prevailing market values; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20503/26

Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the 2026 budget allocation for the tenant-in-situ scheme; and for housing acquisitions for each of the 31 local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20837/26

Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the progress of the drafting and publication of the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill 2024, in light of the recent publication of the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to ensure transparency in the home-buying process, to curb ghost bids and gazumping, and to curtail bidding wars that are leading to higher house prices; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if plans by local councils to increase rents for council and HAP tenants reflect the commitment in the Delivering Homes, Building Communities plan to review the rents paid by social housing tenants, or if even more

Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being taken to ensure the provision of housing for people with disabilities, to ensure that Ireland complies with Article 19 of the UNCRPD, including but not limited to expansion of the capital acquisition scheme

Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on his progress toward delivering affordable housing in east Galway; the measures currently being advanced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16786/26

Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions that are being taken, and the progress being made, on monitoring the housing targets in each local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17860/26

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is a solution for people who are still linked in name only to a mortgage, despite being separated and living elsewhere, but who cannot join the social housing waiting list

Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the first call under the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund. [17291/26

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason workers on social housing waiting lists are removed from the waiting list by local authorities when one year of their wages goes over the income threshold, and they lose all the time they

Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 49 of 8 October 2025, if he will provide an update on discussions his Department has had with Galway County Council in relation to the Ros a Mhíl and Eanach Mheáin … social housing developments; the current status of the feasibility studies and cost reports on the sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17800/26

Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Social Housing Construction Status Report for Q4 of 2025 will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16458/26

Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to review the qualifying criteria for cost rental housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17481/26

Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to develop infrastructure to facilitate the building of more houses in the constituency of Sligo Leitrim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17286/26

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total funding allocated for affordable housing since 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17494/26