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read a Second Time." I am pleased to introduce the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026 for the consideration of the House. The main purpose of this Bill is to address the passenger cap planning condition at Dublin Airport. The importance of addressing the passenger … include any conditions in an order that I deem appropriate to mitigate any impact on the environment. In consultation with the Minister for housing, where appropriate, I can deem the conditions attached to an order as exempted development but only where they are not separately subject to environmental

against economic activity, building roads and everything we are trying to do from a common-sense point of view. We need roads and houses. A term used in the motion last week was "unsustainable housing". I would love to know what an unsustainable house is. I would love … would like the Minister to take this on board, is the person who applies for planning permission to build a house near another person's farmyard. When they are living in their house, they then complain about the farmyard. In other words, what was there first? Many

they were approved. That is not acceptable. A retention application went in on that. That is something I am committing to the House that we will have an independent assessment of the flight paths operated out of Dublin Airport. Dublin Airport does need to continue to grow … years. I want that to improve. The airport has to operate under a good neighbour policy. I can assure the House that the board that is there, the interim chief executive, the management team and the new chairperson who is coming in, are really clear about that

been absolutely no progress in the time since. In fact, we have probably moved backwards over the past 12 months. To remind the House, the independent review group publication in 2023 recommended that the Offences Against the State Act be abolished in its entirety, with a majority recommending … brought forward. As the Government has not acted and shows no sign that it is going to act, I wish to inform the House that I, along with my colleague, Deputy Mark Ward, will be introducing a Bill complied in conjunction with the OPLA to compel the Government

very grateful to the House for its consideration of these motions. I thank Deputies for their contributions, particularly those in support but also those who do not support the motion because their discourse is very important. Many issues have been raised. I know I have only eight minutes … benefit of the House and for those watching, the independent review group carried out a comprehensive review of the law in this area and the majority and minority reports of the group were published in June 2023. The main recommendations of the majority report can be summarised

Fine Gael, ag iarraidh ar an Rialtas gníomhú chun cosc ar dhíshealbhuithe gan locht a thabhairt isteach arís. Today, the Oireachtas committee on housing published a major report. This report makes it clear that the Government is not doing enough to tackle the housing and homelessness crisis … themselves in homelessness. There are many steps we can take to protect people. A ban on no-fault evictions would provide people in housing difficulty with the safety net they need. It would relieve stress and pressure and give these people the security they need

There are a couple of serious points there. This is the first time I have ever been in this House while somebody seems to be bemoaning so many Ministers coming to Laois. Deputy Stanley obviously has not met Deputy Willie Aird. It is easier to go to Laois … delivering. We are delivering a lot when it comes to infrastructure. There were two announcements of projects this week for Laois through the housing activation office. Every €3 we are going to spend on capital over the next number of years is going to be spent on housing

thank all the Deputies from across the House who have contributed to this important discussion. The contributions from across the House have been thoughtful, constructive and, above all, grounded in the lived experience of the families and people affected by rare diseases. Many Members have spoken with real … advocacy that Members have reflected on today. I want to pay tribute to Deputy O'Sullivan, others in my party and Members across House who have advocated. Deputies have brought the voices of patients and families directly into this Chamber. This ensures the work remains grounded

unfortunately is unable to be here this evening as she is attending a meeting of EU heath ministers in Luxembourg. I assure the House she would have been here otherwise and I am sure that Members will appreciate that it just was not possible … welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. Like the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and many of us here in the House, I have heard the experiences of women who have availed of termination of pregnancy services. Their honesty and their feedback are so appreciated

register will launch on 1 December 2026, with a legal obligation on all operators to register by 31 December 2026. The new housing policy for short-term let activity was set out today at Cabinet by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne … national planning statement. The statement provides a balanced framework that supports sustainable tourism, protects communities, maintains housing supply and enables clear, consistent decision-making for both property owners and planners. The new housing policy restricts the approval of new planning permissions for short-term lets in cities

Minister; the hard data tells him this. I told the Minister about the increases in Laois. The average increase for a two-bedroom house or apartment has risen by 34% in the space of one year. Now there is nothing else that I know of that has gone … should be assessed. We should let it run maybe to the six-month point, and the effect of this on people and on housing should be assessed at that stage in September or October. It should be examined in the cold light of day. I urge the Government

confusion, chaos and unpreparedness - I do not know what word you would use - on behalf of the Government. The issue of housing is so important and it is very important we get it right. However, this is not the only legislation relating to housing where a Bill … opportunity in his concluding remarks to answer that. I ask myself a very simple question when I consider any legislation relating to housing. Will it help my constituents who are homeless, who are in emergency accommodation and who need stable, secure and affordable accommodation? For as long

been taken in by them. I hosted a meeting with the Irish Recorded Music Association in the audiovisual room here in Leinster House in March. An Irish company, AudioStack, by taking just a couple of moments of my speaking in this House, was able to replicate or synthesise … voice and provide a speech that sounded as if I was delivering it in Leinster House. It was probably far more eloquent than I am, but colleagues who were listening at the time were absolutely convinced that this was the case. While this is a problem that

grips with the misuse of artificial intelligence, not only in Irish society, but globally. If it were to be progressed in the Houses, this could be an example of best practice to other countries, showing them how to do it. Deputy Byrne has covered most of the issues … artificial intelligence. While the EU AI Act has been passed, the general scheme of the AI regulation Bill here is progressing through the House. The national AI office will be established by August of this year. That does not mean that we stand still. AI is changing quickly

welcome the Minister of State with responsibility for sport to the House. Sport has always occupied a unique place in humane society. It transcends politics, religion, ethnicity and nationality. It brings people together in a way that very few things can. That is why I approached this motion … with extreme caution. Let me be clear to this House: I condemn the horrific attacks that were carried out by Hamas against Israel on 7 October 2023, the murder of innocent civilians, the taking of hostages and the acts of terror. None of that can ever be justified

tabling this motion and I apologise for not being here at the outset of the debate. Based on the debate in the House today and the debate on the Sinn Féin Private Member's motion last night, as well as from the discussions we have on a regular … basis in this House, it is very clear that this House and the people of Ireland have significant concerns about Israeli actions in Palestine and the dire and worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. I reiterate that Israeli actions in Palestine consistently contravene international law. The Irish Government continues

thank the Taoiseach for his update. I want to raise the issue of the qualifying income limits for social housing. The Minister for housing has indicated a willingness to examine these limits but I am raising it because I believe they urgently need to be increased. An increasing … number of working people are finding themselves outside the social housing income limits and outside the social housing support bracket. This is increasing the cohort of people who are effectively receiving no support from the State. Traditionally, social housing was available to working people. We need

fear and anxiety of parents in terms of providing for them if they were to pass from this world. The Minister for housing has met the Minister of State for disability. The Minister for housing is instructing local authorities to build and to have a quota in every … with disabilities in the first instance and not do so on the basis that if they get wraparound services, they will build a house. They must just go and build it. We will have to put pressure on the HSE side, on the healthcare side, to make sure

addressed. The USC was supposed to be temporary. I remember the late Brian Lenihan telling us all of that in this House. That is not the case. We need to reform the tax bands for workers to ensure they take home more to meet the various costs they … towns all over the country and in the high streets of Ireland. There is not enough said about these costs in this House. There is not enough action taken outside of this debate to ensure the businesses that are threatened and being challenged by current costs are kept

will. I thank Deputy Doherty and Deputies across the House, including on the Government benches, for raising this issue. We will reopen the portal. The Deputy is right; on occasions we can agree in this House. This is a vital programme that plays a very important part … portal will be reopened to allow further schools to apply. The Minister will announce details of the extension shortly because everyone in this House knows the summer programme is an absolutely crucial support for families over the holiday period. It has huge benefits for children in their social

than the national average. Properties in our more rural and coastal locations often need more refurbishment before they can be let as social housing. We can see the impact in the numbers. In 2023, this scheme delivered 1,830 acquisitions. In 2024, it was 1,501. Last year … there were only 775 houses delivered. At its peak, the tenant in situ scheme accounted for 46% of all homelessness prevention activity nationally. By December of last year, that figure had fallen to 11%. According to a recent media report, Clare County Council has only spent €1.45 million

theannta sin, bronnadh os cionn €3 milliún ar iarratais i limistéir Ghaeltachta faoin deontas athchóirithe do réadmhaoin fholamh, is é sin, the vacant houses grant. More than €3 million was given to the empty houses grant in Gaeltacht areas le linn 2024 agus 2025, between … freagracht go léir ar an údarás. Tá a lán scileanna san údarás. The údarás has fantastic skills but, in terms of developing housing and planning responsibilities for housing, there are other, quicker ways to do it to get the kind of supply of housing we need for Irish

temporary route, pending finding another temporary route that is going closer to the long-term route. Meanwhile, they have built another 5,000 houses and people are wondering why they cannot have that route along the boulevard. From Adamstown Station, along Adamstown Boulevard there could be a reconstituted … want to refer to our planning laws. In south Dublin, the Government wants to be seen to be doing something about the housing crisis. In an area of south Dublin there is zoning for 56,000 housing units, with 12,000 with planning applications in situ. The Government

short-term lettings because that is not what we should be doing. Of course, we should be doing everything we can to provide housing but in doing that, we have to recognise that people who have been involved in short-term lets for years and years are providing … would tick the box on that issue. I have no sympathy for a person who comes along now and wants to buy a house here in Dublin, in Kerry or anywhere and they want to change that house and make it into a short-term let. Of course

everything right. NAMA facilitated the delivery of over 44,500 new homes, though. It delivered nearly 3,000 social housing units directly. It transferred the National Asset Residential Property Service, NARPS, social housing portfolio and two major development sites with capacity for around 4,000 additional homes … ownership, which is important. In my constituency of Dún Laoghaire, NAMA-secured sites at Cherrywood and elsewhere played a real part in the housing that has been delivered in recent years. The regeneration of the Dublin docklands for example, a strategic development zone that was a wasteland

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has carried out any internal review or evaluation of the tenant rent-a-room scheme for local authority tenants since its introduction; whether the significant gap between projected housing supply and actual

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department assessed administrative, insurance, tenancy, or welfare interaction barriers faced by local authority tenants under the tenant rent-a-room scheme prior to its rollout; whether such barriers contributed to the extremely … uptake; and the responsibility his Department accepts for the failure of the scheme to translate policy intent into delivered housing supply. [7211/26

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when local authorities will receive their budget for housing acquisitions for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7251/26

Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has assessed the impact of the use of private accommodation for international protection applicants on housing supply, rental prices, and availability in the wider housing market; to detail any such assessments undertaken since 2022; and to outline what measures

Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider offering interest free loans to local authorities to allow for the installation of solar panels on local authority owned houses whereby the panels would be owned by the local authority, who could

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider allowing local authorities to include attic conversions in their own social housing stock to meet the needs of existing tenants as an alternative to tenants having to apply for transfers

Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason plans for the refurbishment of Wicklow court house were removed from the National Development Plan; the plans to use the court house in the future; the steps being taken to maintain the building

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of public houses in Ireland in December 2024; the estimated amount of alcoholic beverages sold, by category, by pubs in 2024; the total amount of VAT collected from pubs in 2024; and the total number … public houses which made VAT returns of less than €100,000 to the Revenue Commissioners in 2024. [6146/26

Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of funding allocated to each county council for housing grant schemes, in the years 2022 to date; when the thresholds to qualify were last revised; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the role local authorities will have in conducting or contributing to technical reviews of applications under the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme; to specify the nature of that role; the expertise to be applied; whether local authorities … will be acting independently or on behalf of the Housing Agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5571/26

Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of properties which were listed on local authority derelict registers as of 31 December 2025; and the number of compulsory purchase orders initiated and completed under the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015. [5670/26

Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant homes identified in the Census 2022 and subsequent vacancy estimates; and what actions under Housing for All target these units. [5674/26

Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether, under the defective concrete blocks grant scheme, the way in which the statutory 78-week timeframe for appeals is suspended where an appeal cannot be determined pending a technical review linked to the revision … whether this position has been communicated to the housing agency and local authorities; and if no such amendment has been made, to outline how appeals that cannot be progressed pending such a technical review are treated for the purposes of statutory time limits; and if he will make

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 217 of 26 November 2025, the reasons the proposal referenced in that reply to fund affordable supported housing was not approved; whether alternative funding options are being considered

Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the length of time it took to complete the four-stage and single-stage approval process for all Traveller-specific accommodation projects completed in 2023 and 2024, by halting site bays and group housing schemes

Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a house constructed in 2009 and not completed or lived in would be considered eligible for the vacant property grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6026/26

Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of dedicated staff currently employed within the Housing Agency to carry out assessments of letters of recommendation submitted by local authorities in relation to defective concrete blocks; if this staffing level is considered sufficient

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total cost to date of the redress scheme for defective houses in County Donegal and surrounding counties; the total estimated cost of these schemes; whether the schemes are likely to exceed their budget

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of people currently on local authority housing waiting lists; the breakdown of those on these lists who are Irish citizens, UK nationals, EEA nationals, or nationals of other countries. [6153/26

Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to ensure adequate funding is provided to Dublin City Council in order to allow it to continue operate its financial contribution scheme which is vital in allowing older people to downsize to DCC older person … accommodation, while also increasing council housing stock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6215/26

Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current number of stock audits completed on local authority social housing; if there is a fund to address issues identified in these audits; and if so, the overall sum allocated to this fund

Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the overall spend on social housing retrofit; and the number of units this applied to in each of the past five years respectively, in tabular form. [6325/26

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures in place to accelerate the reuse of vacant and derelict buildings for housing and community purposes; the steps taken to improve delivery timelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6375/26

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the level of funding allocated under the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund to projects in Dublin Bay north; the status of approved or pending projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6379/26

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has engaged with local authority or community leaders in Donaghmede regarding housing and infrastructure delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6383/26