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proposed and this is a pity because there really was an opportunity here to address the significant issues with defective buildings and social housing. There are also particular issues here. Social housing tenants are particularly vulnerable and we are dealing with a situation whereby local authorities have been … absolutely and completely underfunded. Look at the basic maintenance that is not being done in local authority housing. There is a disgraceful situation with Dublin City Council and other councils whereby tenants who are in poverty, living in mould and damp, have been forced to pay ever-higher

should do that but that is something he wants to make positive progress on in the budgetary context as well. Everyone across this House would support that. Third, when it comes to last year's budget, we obviously made decisions with respect to housing and taxation around housing … support greater supply in the economy, which has to be welcomed. Anything we can do to support increased housing supply has to be supported. We are correct to make that decision. Similarly, when it came to protecting jobs in the adjustment, particularly in regions and rural Ireland

welcome the Minister to the House today. I also welcome the opportunity to speak on the Social Welfare, Civil Registration and Charities (Amendment) Bill 2026. The Minister will be very much aware that in July of this year, I and other members of the Joint Committee on Social … country, so when we hear that the rate of child poverty is increasing it should be of concern to us all in the House. The Government should not be scraping the bottom of the barrel by talking about definitions of poverty when we know so many children

number of weeks, although it has voted this measure down several times. My colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, has brought it before this House eight times. The Government says it might do something at some point. The people cannot wait because the people cannot pay. They cannot wait because … here about pensioners who are struggling to heat their homes. That started before this crisis. The numbers of pensioners in poverty, in insecure housing and in homelessness are all increasing. There is certainly going to be a serious rise in the number of pensioners who cannot afford

Reply not given on the floor of the House The Department of Children, Disability and Equality continues to engage with the HSE, to expand and develop residential services for people with disabilities. Engagement is also ongoing to improve the process for service users and families to access these … reduction in placements provided on an individual emergency basis, with a move towards commissioning placements on a planned basis, prioritising whole house solutions such as four-bed houses, rather than sourcing individual placements. The aim is to commission placements within the region where possible while working with service

They could be building houses. That is the other way this is affecting the housing crisis. There are more than 10,000 of these workers who are spending their time building data centres and they are purely temporary jobs. The KPMG report actually says these jobs will disappear … once we have built all of the data centres. The workers could instead be building housing. What is the actual figure? How many people actually work in data centres? The Minister's own report, which is a report designed to support the case for data centres, says

thank Deputy Heneghan and the many other Deputies across the House for their contribution to this debate and for the welcome opportunity, through the motion put forward by Deputy Boyd Barrett, to discuss the pressures households are facing as a result of very high energy costs. The Government … maintaining the electricity grid. They fund a grid that is more resilient to storms and supplies electricity to a growing population, new housing and expanding businesses. Extra-large energy users like data centres have in recent years seen large increases in network costs, with an average increase

built a record number of social housing units last year - 9,000 plus. This year, we will build more again. Over the past five years, if we look at the numbers of social houses that have been built, they have been very significant, and we have facilitated … funded that, apart altogether from affordable housing and so on. The Deputy never acknowledged that. There is significant momentum compared with where we were five years ago. We are the fastest in Europe in terms of house construction

arguing about the fact that Ireland has the slowest planning, procurement, licensing, tendering and judicial review processes in the whole of Europe. This housing crisis has dragged on for nearly ten years at this stage. One of the main contributing factors has been that what the Government controlled … report which confirms the concerns that we in Aontú have raised repeatedly in this Chamber. The time it takes to build a house in this country has doubled in ten years. It used to take two years to build a house in this country but it now takes

welcome the legislation and assure the Minister that anything that strengthens the hand of the Garda force should be supported by this House and will be supported by me. As we pass this new legislation, or bring it through the House, we have to look at the impact … members of the force in a very vulnerable position when they are asked to do something, by way of legislation we in this House have passed, without the consideration of how they implement the piece of justice or the action that is required. That is where the problem

times about this. Has she had any update on that from the Department of Finance or the Department of public expenditure? On housing, I recently received a reply from the Minister in respect of a parliamentary question on derelict houses in the Curragh and at other barracks around … country. In that reply, she stated that the hope is to bring these houses back into habitable condition. This is what we need to do to improve recruitment to our Defence Forces. We need to look at the pension scheme and we need to provide housing for those

There is no single issue here. This is about housing, pensions, pay and conditions. Has the Minister dealt though with the representative organisations on the single public service pension scheme? She might confirm that and let us know whether there is any update. The Minister mentioned … very welcome and everyone who supports the Defence Forces will welcome that. However, the Curragh has been neglected when it comes to housing. On the basis of the Minister's reply to my previous parliamentary question, there are 63 derelict houses there. Can I get a commitment that

welcome the debate and the contributions from all Members of the House, as well as the varying views. As Cathaoirleach of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, I believe this is exactly the type of debate and discussion that we should be having … this House. The agreement envisages that the people of this island may one day be asked to decide on their constitutional future. It is right that we prepare for that question seriously, honestly and well in advance. The Good Friday Agreement rests on the principle of consent

also help the region to move towards achieving its emission reduction targets. Infrastructural investment is also much needed in the context of housing. Some 32,000 households are currently experiencing homelessness in Northern Ireland. The housing crisis there has been exacerbated by the failures of the Executive … reach social housing targets and by too regular cuts in its housing budget. Just as there is a major question regarding capital investment, a significant increase in current investment will be needed to deal with the many endemic social challenges that would be faced in the context

Waste Management (Household Waste Collection Service) Bill. I thank Deputy Sherlock and the Labour Party for bringing this legislation before the House. At the outset, I acknowledge that the Deputy has raised issues that are of real importance to households across the country. Reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable … identify the model that delivers the best outcomes for Ireland. That is precisely what the independent feasibility study was commissioned to do. The House should allow that work to conclude before legislating for a permanent restructuring of the sector. Deputy Sherlock has suggested that a franchise model could

citizens across the country, workers, those on pensions and so on. We rarely get opportunities to discuss the wider economy in this House. I was struck that earlier this week we had a significant investment by Intel of up to €5 billion in its site in Leixlip … there was not a whisper in this House about it. It kind of tells us a story about the degree to which this House is divorced from the reality of economics and the economy, and how to sustain the economy and stay competitive. There is rarely a discussion

rate of payment under the scheme. The scheme that was created was uneven, unfair and discriminatory for those seeking accommodation or housing. It created a two-tier support system, which is unfair. This two-tier support system has threatened cohesion. It has caused anger and pushback among … means test the payment, as an amendment also did on the previous occasion, and put it on a level footing with other housing assistance payments. Most parties will also vote against the proposal to protect rent-a-room tenants from eviction. It has been reported again that some

disability services, which has at least helped to consolidate a lot of the section 38 providers and providers more generally. The Minister for housing has met with the Minister for disability. They have agreed a protocol that local authorities now have to prioritise people with disabilities for housing … that a quota of all social housing would be reserved for people with disabilities and that they would have a priority on housing lists so that from respite to residential, we will see a far more proactive approach. I agree with the Deputy on that

will say what half of this country is thinking and what this House has refused to hear: women in Ireland do not feel safe walking through the capital city, through Cork city, where my own constituency is located, or through towns and villages where women once thought nothing … identified suspects, one is Irish. That is not an invented figure and I will not be silenced for repeating it in this House or anywhere else. It is not only Ireland's shame; it is Europe's. The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention reports that people

thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for bringing this motion before the House. I also thank the many Deputies across the House who have contributed to the debate on what is an extremely important topic. It is only right and appropriate that it gets attention and consideration in this House … address the potential impact on income and viability of careers in the arts sector. We look forward to working with everyone across the House in relation to building on the work that has been done and the great amount of work that needs to be done to protect

that the HSE has gone through all of the steps it needs to. The challenge is that the country has a problem with housing. If we are giving away State-owned buildings and State-owned land - not giving it away but selling it on the open market - where … building should really be protected as an historic building and it should also be used either for healthcare accommodation needs or affordable housing in a housing crisis. Why do we need to keep giving away and selling really valuable assets? This does not happen in other countries. That

good quality of life. We need a system that plans ahead instead of reacting after the damage is done. We need proper housing options, supported living arrangements, respite services and community supports. We need clear pathways and certainty for families. Most important, we need Departments and agencies working … daughter has been taken away from them. We tried to exercise this model in my community and recently we built 12 houses in Schull. I am involved with Schull Community Care and we had difficulties with this. We paid into the project, which was one of these

permissions are up in terms of planning permissions for new homes. The number of houses being delivered has gone up, particularly social housing. Close to 10,000 were built last year. The highest number of social houses are being built annually since the 1970s. Some local authorities … better on social housing than others

standing commitment to peacekeeping there. The deteriorating situation in Gaza and the West Bank was also discussed by European Union leaders. As the House will recall, I wrote to President Costa ahead of this meeting of the European Council setting out Ireland’s deep concerns and our position … last week and I look forward to seeing the Commission’s proposed options. While the passing of the occupied territories Bill by this House yesterday is a significant step, it has always been my view that action at EU level is also required and would be more effective

have a situation today where a man will be coming home from hospital after major heart surgery. When his family checked his house last week to get it ready for him to come home, a broken pipe had flooded the house. Cork City Council officials told the family … they do not have the staff to get the house ready. They have to dump the carpets and floors. There is a smell of damp and mould in the house now. That man is after having open-heart surgery and he is going home to that because

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total amount provided to local authorities for vacant social housing acquisitions in each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and the number of such acquisitions purchased in each year

Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the engagement she and her officials have had in 2025 with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage with respect to changing or improving planning rules to ensure delivery of childcare facilities in housing developments; the progress

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to estimate the total number of housing units in the State at the end of each year from 2011 to date in 2025. [61098/25

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the criteria and regulatory safeguards to be applied under the proposed scheme allowing developers to construct their own wastewater treatment infrastructure for new housing developments; the process by which such privately built systems will

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has identified towns or villages in Cork where housing development has been delayed due to lack of wastewater infrastructure; the number of such settlements nationally; and the way in which

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has engaged with the Environmental Protection Agency and Uisce Éireann to establish a clear licensing and compliance framework for privately constructed wastewater treatment systems proposed under the new developer-led housing infrastructure plan

Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of housing maintenance funding provided to each county council from 2020 to date in 2025; the average waiting time for completion of work in each county in each of those years, in tabular form

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total funding allocation for social housing acquisitions in 2026. [61213/25

Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the large number of people who earn too much to qualify for social housing, but not enough to qualify for cost rental schemes; his plans to introduce more flexibility into

Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement that has taken place between his Department and Uisce Éireann in relation to the progression of the taking in charge of water services of completed housing estates, many of which have been completed

Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions his Department is taking to assist Uisce Éireann in the taking in charge of housing estates and residential developments from private developers, in particular legacy estates built between 2005 and 2008, which have

Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps being taken to increase commencement and completion rates of housing developments specifically in Roscommon-Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61481/25

Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being considered to improve housing affordability in Roscommon-Galway, particularly for first-time buyers and young families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61482/25

Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if grants are available for the improvement/upgrade of wastewater treatment systems/septic tanks for houses not in the high status objective catchment area under the domestic wastewater treatment systems grant schemes; and if he will make

Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether there is a funding stream for local authorities to pay to put shuttering on housing; and whether this can be included in an allocation under the voids return programme. [61740/25

Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will establish a fund for unfinished housing estates such as (details supplied) to deal with serious infrastructure and essential services within these estates. [61970/25

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the Governments positive decision to request local authorities to zone more land to meet essential housing needs, the policies in place to ensure that counties where the population rises rapidly can be guaranteed that

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the contractual or procurement procedures altered during the construction or fit-out phases of Ireland House Tokyo; the specific changes and their cost implications; and the estimated annual operating cost of Ireland House Tokyo compared to the previous leased embassy

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the number of previously vacant or derelict properties that have been retrofitted and returned to use for housing since 2022 in the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council area; and if he will make

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social housing units completed in Q1 and Q2 of 2025, by local authority, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57846/25

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable housing units completed in Q1 and Q2 of 2025, by local authority, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57847/25

Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider raising the threshold for social housing in Offaly or moving Offaly into band two; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58069/25

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to publish the draft planning guidelines on short-term letting; and to confirm that he will consult with the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, before finalising the guidelines. [58132/25

Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the financial supports available from his Department to parents and guardians of children with autism who need to modify their house to provide their child with an adapted bedroom or sensory room; and if he will

Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the figures in respect of the housing sector by local authority for 2016 to 2024 will be published (details supplied), either by the CSO or his Department. [58167/25