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with the points made by the previous two speakers. I also raise the fact that it has been two weeks since the new housing plan was published. The main innovation is the removal of annual targets to prevent accountability for the failure of this Government to deliver affordable … housing, while allowing a small few to get extraordinarily rich. Since the plan has been published, we have been calling for a debate on it but it has still not been granted. Why is the Government scared of debating its own housing plan? Is this going to turn

result. This is an unheard of kind of measure in a European context. In other European countries where significant investment goes into housing, whether through tax expenditure or more direct investment, which is, of course, better value for money, it is always done with the aim of securing … affordability. Here, we see subsidy after subsidy that boost the profits of developers and do not make housing more affordable. There is a key problem with this in terms of productivity in the housing construction sector. Tax incentives are not addressing the capacity constraints in the sector

solve this crisis. I hear speaker after speaker condemning the landlord. Lord God almighty, where do they think we are going to get houses from? It does not appear like that. They are putting down landlords who own one house or two houses. I was speaking … into utilities without accountability. While families wait for homes, cutting VAT is welcome, but it is not enough. We need joined-up thinking. Housing and infrastructure must go hand in hand. If we fail to connect the dots, we fail the people who are counting

traditional council housing or social housing if the tenant's income changes or the number of people in the house changes because kids leave or anybody leaves, the tenant does not get thrown out of the house. They do not get threatened with possible homelessness. They … build up arrears. The rent is adjusted to the tenant's means and to the number of people in the house. That does not happen if the tenant is in the HAP scheme and, by the way, it does not happen if they are in cost rental

year. Why is it not open today? Why is the voids programme not open 365 days a year so that when a house comes back, the local authority can fix it up and allocate it out? Opening it just once or twice a year does not make sense … nothing coming from the Opposition. This is a simple fix here: keep the void programme open for 365 days a year so that houses are not left to rot. Can I give the Minister of State one statistic? Data I received earlier this year from local authorities showed

binding it or limiting it in any way. I am just very conscious that in the past we have had discussion in this House about the need for an inquiry into a matter of significant and urgent public concern and it has taken many years. I am thinking … will begin. I also understand CHI has written to patients in the last two weeks. It is important to say this to the House because I have this knowledge and I want to make sure I share it in the most appropriate way. I would like the opportunity

pleased to commend the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 to the House. No amendments to the Bill have been tabled on Committee Stage. I particularly acknowledge the co-operation and support that has been given to the Bill by colleagues and party spokespersons across … House. I also extend my thanks to the Oireachtas staff, in particular the staff of the Bills Office for their assistance. As the House is aware, the purpose of the Bill is to provide, by amendment of various Courts Acts, for an increase in the maximum number

gComh-Aireacht agus táim sásta an Teachta Frank Feighan a ainmniú mar Aire Stáit ag an Roinn caiteachais. I wish to inform the House that the President, acting on my advice, has accepted the resignation of Deputy Paschal Donohoe as a member of the Government. I intend … support the Government resoundingly endorsed a comprehensive programme for Government to be implemented across five years. While we unfortunately have many in the House who cannot bring themselves to respect the mandate of others, we will continue to fulfil ours. We have already prepared and put in place

fail. The future of our country, particularly for people my age, depends on it. At last this morning, we have a new housing plan but I have never seen any government take so long to come up with so little. This time last year, the Government deliberately misled … electorate in terms of the housing targets. During the election, the Government never publicised its plans to hike rents, change the rental rules and shrink apartment sizes. This new plan tells us that the Government will deliver 300,000 homes by 2030 but it will need a minor

thousands of young people, workers, families and those with a disability relies on what the Government will publish in its new plan for housing tomorrow. It is not a dramatic statement to say that young people are leaving our shores, workers with good jobs and decent incomes have … this a massive transfer to developers, but it also squeezes out home buyers desperate to purchase a home. Last year, councils and approved housing bodies, AHBs, directly built a paltry 335 new social homes, yet the public sector spent over €2 billion purchasing over 4,700 new units

welcome the Minister to the House this evening and I welcome the opportunity to discuss, once again, social protection and the recent budget. In responding to budget 2026 previously in this House, I described it as a punch in the stomach for many working families and unfortunately … September also shows that one in five children, that is, over 225,000 children, live in families below the poverty line when housing costs are accounted for. It is a failure of our society and those in government that child poverty figures are relentlessly rising. We called

move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to require the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to produce a report on the appointment of an emergency independent inspector for Dublin Zoo. I am introducing this Bill in an effort to highlight … including the misallocation of funds raised in a Save Dublin Zoo appeal during Covid to build an extension to the zoo director's house. To cap it all, there was a lack of concern and a total lack of proper oversight by the State over any of this

also conscious that when An Garda Síochána gets a complaint of sexual violence, it investigates it very thoroughly. I know everyone in the House is anxious to ensure cases come on for hearing as quickly as possible but An Garda Síochána has to do an investigation, get evidence … believes there is sufficient evidence for a prosecution and the likelihood of success. They are all complicated factors. Notwithstanding that, we in this House can try to speed the process up by ensuring if those steps are taken promptly, they know a court and judge will be available

significant capital injection in our economy in the history of the State. The Government has prioritised investment towards critical growth-enabling sectors, mainly housing, energy, water and transport, in line with the ambitions in the review to enable the delivery of over 300,000 new homes … boost our economic competitiveness. As well as the core housing and competitive objectives, the Government recognises that the delivery of essential infrastructure is a key driver for enabling and fostering balanced regional development. The NDP investment aligns with the national planning framework, Ireland’s planning and spatial strategy

here today. Increasing the provision of disability residential services is a key priority for the Government and the HSE. All Deputies across the House will have specific cases relating to the many families who are finding challenges in this regard. There has been significant investment in residential services … coming weeks in the forthcoming HSE national service plan for 2026. The Deputy raised a specific case in St. Michael's House. It is a pivotal provider of disability support, particularly much-needed residential supports. I am informed by the HSE that the organisation provides residential supports

Yesterday's report from the Department of Finance said that the housing disaster will continue for another 15 years. That seems to be an optimistic forecast based on housing delivery doubling to 60,000 by 2030. We are facing 30 years of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil housing … failure unless their housing plans radically change or they are removed from office. The lives of generations of people in this country have been destroyed and will be destroyed. They have been betrayed and abandoned because this Government, despite all of its resources, has failed to meet

ever wanted more proof that the Government has its priorities all wrong, this Bill is it. On a day when the Minister for housing announced a war on dereliction and vacancy, it is a joke. It would be funny if it were not so serious. We have … Finance Bill that does absolutely nothing to tackle either. The housing Minister's war on dereliction will start in two years' time, but for the next two years he will be looking for derelict properties. We know where they are because every local authority has a derelict sites

clearly do not need them. It is one of the most fiscally irresponsible acts because there is no requirement around affordability of housing. There is no requirement for those VAT cuts to be passed on in terms of cheaper goods or cheaper housing. It is also what … other potentials and what we could be doing with that €5 billion. We could be using it to fund social and affordable housing delivery. We could be using it to develop public childcare. We could be using it to develop public transport. Instead, public money is being given

sincerity of Deputy Ó Murchú and the Opposition who are proposing this new legislative provision. I have worked with them across the House over the past number of years. I look forward to co-operation because we do not all have monopolies on wisdom on any issues that … measures being proposed and processed by my Department and the NCSE in regard to these issues, I wish to inform the House that the Government will arrange to table a reasonable amendment to the Bill. I ask the House to support our view that the Bill should

legislation. I also outlined some work that has been done. In the closing statement, I want to provide a short update for the House on the ongoing work by both the Department of education and the NCSE in relation to forward planning for special education provision … school provision earlier through our weekly meetings with the NCSE and senior officials in the Department. I will be happy to update the House on this work over the coming weeks and months. I recognise the progress that is being made on confirming new special education provision earlier

embarrassing. I will never do it again. I will never again take a Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW into a house. I took him into the house of Dan Dineen and many more along the Ballylickey river. In 2017, I told the Minister of State … Fast-forward to 2025, the river is still blocked. My brother, Councillor Danny Collins, was drawing bags of sand two weeks ago to houses to stop the water going into the houses. Why? For some insistent, God damn reason, they will not clean out the rivers

want to send solidarity to all the homeowners and people affected by this issue in Donegal. There are often attempts in this House and outside it to divide and rule between people from so-called urban areas and rural areas. The reality is that I live … said in his opening remarks was that the Government had financially assisted people. People should not be financially assisted; they should have their houses fixed completely, just like they did under the pyrite remediation scheme. My preference would be that a State company would fix everybody's house

prove we are wrong. She asked, "Would I pretend I have cancer? I would not." People are not pretending that their houses are crumbling around them. The way in which they have to fill out these forms and the huge number of criteria they have to go through … built in front of people that they cannot get over. There are also a whole lot of other people who are in council houses or local authority houses. They see it around them, but the council will not even go and look at these houses. It will

this "to where it is today". I will clarify where it is today. We have a scheme right now that has 74 houses that are completed. Another 70 have received outer-leaf remediation work only and still retain the blockwork. This amounts to approximately 140 houses, half … which will have to be redone at great expense to the Exchequer. The Minister of State failed to mention that 300 houses that are on the scheme are commencements. You cannot live in a commencement; you live in a completion. That is what has happened with this Government

into dereliction. Councillor Dermot Lacey and I have been raising the need for it to be given new life and given over to housing for years. I have heard of a private joke in one Department regarding robust campaigning by Labour representatives on it. I have been told … placed it on the open market, with no offer being made to the Land Development Agency or the Department of housing. We understand they never even took the initiative to assess the viability of the building for housing. The Taoiseach shrugged off the issue yesterday

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the categories of infrastructure barriers escalated to him by the Housing Activation Office since 2023, including transport, utilities, water services, planning or procurement; and the corrective actions his Department has directed in each case. [72311/25

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline his Department has set for publishing a consolidated annual report of housing activation barriers, actions and progress; and whether this report will include local-authority-level detail. [72312/25

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views regarding energy cloud; if he has considered including the use of surplus energy as part of the Government's social housing retrofit programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72385/25

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the introduction of a new single stage process for social housing delivery; when this process will be available to local authorities; and the number of applications that have been received

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he intends to publish the planning policy statement on short-term letting; and if he will give a commitment to publish the statement in draft form to allow the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing

Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the regulations included in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 to permit victims of domestic abuse to end a joint application and, with the agreement of a landlord and without delay, submit

Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the regulations included in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 that prevent a joint HAP application from being split into two separate applications in cases of domestic abuse (details supplied

Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when legislation to underpin the defects remediation schemes will come before the Oireachtas Housing Committee for pre-legislative scrutiny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71183/25

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average and median statutory decision making times recorded in An Coimisiún Pleanála for each of the past five years for planning appeals, strategic housing developments, large scale residential developments and strategic infrastructure cases

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to detail his Department’s assessment of the impact of judicial review volumes on planning decision timelines in An Coimisiún Pleanála over the past five years, including data on the number of judicial review … cases initiated each year; the proportion relating to housing or infrastructure; and his Department’s analysis of the expected effect of the JR reforms in the Planning and Development Act 2024. [70402/25

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures in Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025–2030 that deal with delayed hospital discharges for older people and disabled persons who are medically fit for discharge but unable to leave due to housing shortages

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has set annual output targets in Delivering Homes, Building Communities for the provision of housing suitable for older people and disabled persons transitioning from hospitals or nursing homes

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number and value of residential property purchases completed by non-resident buyers in each of the past five years, disaggregated by price band and county; the proportion of these purchases completed without mortgage finance … actions his Department is considering to protect housing affordability for domestic buyers in light of rising non-resident activity. [70737/25

Flynn asked the Minister for Health the formal governance arrangements in place between her Department, the HSE, and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for addressing delayed transfers of care linked to housing shortages, including reporting channels, escalation processes, and scheduled interdepartmental reviews. [70415/25

Department has carried out any assessment of the financial impact on the health service arising from delayed transfers of care caused by housing shortages; and the estimated cost of acute and step-down bed days occupied by persons awaiting suitable housing in 2023, 2024, and 2025. [70421/25

Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the date on which he received a letter of recommendation from the Housing Agency in relation to homes in County Meath being included in the defective block scheme; when a decision will be made

Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to clarify if tax refunds, tax credits (including the rent tax credit), and medical-expense relief will be treated as one-off income for the purposes of Social Housing and HAP means assessments; whether Revenue classifies

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide information and clarification about a cost rental housing issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69356/25

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will, in cooperation with Approved Housing Bodies, establish dedicated phone numbers and email addresses for Oireachtas members to contact AHBs to obtain policy information and to raise constituents’ issues; and if he will

Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the 70,000 social homes and retrofits being built by the National Housing Plan could be equipped with smart devices that allowed surplus renewable energy to be used when available. [69716/25

Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can provide a written update on the revising of county development plans for each of the 31 local authorities; if current development plan timelines will be extended to facilitate the upcoming variation to provide … additional zoned lands to increase housing supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69991/25

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the rollout of retro-fitting State owned and local authority housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70092/25

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority housing units, per local authority; the number of bedroom units per dwelling; and the number of these dwellings that have been the subject of retrofitting in the past five years

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority housing units in each of the BER rating bands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70139/25

health regions which include residential services properties, high support residential services units, day services units, adult/children multi-disciplinary network team units, adult respite houses and child respite houses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [69761/25