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glad to hear that the Government will not be opposing the motion. It is good that we can unite in this House on this issue. Indeed, it is a proposition in the motion that we in Labour support. As the oldest political party in the State … economic and social issues that require deliberation in advance. How will we deal with the economics of the new arrangements? What will our housing, health and education systems look like? We can talk about a new Ireland but we have to acknowledge that it will be built

answer and for detailing the level of engagement and the issues that have been discussed by the Minister with the Department of housing. There are two big pieces of work under way in the Minister's Department in the successor to Our Rural Future and the Government … housing plan. Forgive me for being cynical, but I think most people would have a fairly sceptical approach to these plans, particularly on the housing side, given the failure to action any of the proposals contained in them. It is really important that those two plans would

speak today on behalf of the constituents of Dublin Fingal West, dealing with the stress caused by their houses literally crumbling around them. Families did everything right. They saved, they waited for their homes to be built, took pride in their home and now they live in fear … them. That is what it looks like from the outside and what it feels like to those affected. The owners cannot sell their houses, they cannot afford to fix them yet they are still forced to pay property tax on homes that may be worth nothing. Is that

that we need to stop partial remediation, restore full redress and establish an independent authority to oversee the process. Mental health supports, emergency housing and fair access to insurance and mortgages must be guaranteed. When people buy their first house or new home, the excitement of getting … would buy one of these homes? It is not just the blocks. I have a case right now where the structure of the house is completely unstable, not because of the materials, but because of the builder and he is walking away scot-free. We have all heard

construction in the county and 137 are now completed. No matter what road you go down in Donegal now, you will see a house under reconstruction. Part of the frustration that has added to the challenges families have faced with this at all times have been the delays … needs to be implemented in legislation right away. In terms of the capacity to build on a different footprint from where the original house was in certain circumstances, that needs to be implemented in that legislation too. The social housing scheme has also been delayed for too long

left in limbo. I want to acknowledge that progress has been made. The Government has taken steps in recognising the scale of the housing defects crisis by the establishment of the enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme and by announcements of increased caps offering choices between non-demolition, remediation … speak for the homeowners who are anxiously awaiting legislation on retrospective payments. These constituents are under huge pressure to sign off on their houses and to leave the scheme. I speak for my constituent who had to dig down 4.8 m, just to find solid foundations. They

that are called for in the motion. It is really important to note that this is not just about the physical effects of houses falling down; people’s lives are literally falling down around them. People are paying huge mortgages for houses that are now crumbling. That … influence on this. People have no choice but to stay in these unsafe homes. It is important that the motion covers social housing, crèches, community facilities and businesses. In 2014, the former Minister, Phil Hogan, brought forward the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014, SI 9 of that year

parents are not in the Public Gallery and have not, from what I understand, requested any motion to be brought in this House but have requested a multidisciplinary statutory inquiry. I sit on the the Opposition benches and I argue with the Government on many matters … Only through the statutory inquiry, through getting it right and through fixing it and having a commitment left, right and centre in this House will we achieve something for that family and for the memory of that child. We have dragged that child's name through this House

most need help will get it and that is to be welcomed. Huge investment of €7 billion was announced in the budget for housing. There are two particular grants that are enormously popular and that have been increased by €130 million. Those are the housing adaptation grant … housing aid for older people grant. These grants make a difference to vulnerable people, older people and those who need help. Anything that the Government can do to increase that number must continue to be done in the coming years. This is step one of a five-step

State cannot sustainably finance on its own the building of 50,000 to 60,000 houses for the next decade, so strategy and policy must reflect the continuance of unprecedented Government investment but complemented and supplemented by private sector investment. That is the clear strategic approach of Government … focused. We are not going to be sidetracked by populist short-term declarations, announcements or soundbites that look good. Soundbites do not build houses. I am absolutely committed, along with the Minister and the entire Government, to dealing with the housing issue as a constant priority and that

enabling people to exit emergency accommodation as quickly as possible. We will fund over 5,000 new homes under the social housing current expenditure programme. We continue to support over 40,000 existing homes under the scheme. There is €470 million to support an additional … tenancies. At present there are 50,000 tenants. There are significant numbers moving to more permanent social housing. Over 28,000 transfers to other forms of social housing have taken place. Then we have the rental accommodation scheme. In terms of capital, under the NDP well over

Government Department and State body would be offered an opportunity to put that building into reuse. TheJournal.ie reported yesterday that the Department of housing said it has never been offered use of this building. Now the HSE has put it on the open market. I and with residents … this being put into an active use, but they will be horrified and scandalised if it is the case the Department of housing never explored whether it could be put to use for housing. We need absolute clarity and certainty on that because this has gone

head. To my sincere embarrassment, I can look at a site and see holiday homes at sky level behind the site where the house is proposed to be built and they are being refused because the new house is too high. They might have 20 acres … permission. They cannot do that. They only have so many acres. They can only do so much. Couples who want a one-off house are refused by the same council and are looking for zoned land close enough to the same area. The council will refuse

have seen this first-hand with my parliamentary assistant Michael who has a disability. This is his first ever job. Since entering this House on day one, he has shown the difference being included makes. He has never felt let down. He has never let his disability hold … does not apply to Members of the Oireachtas. That is a missed opportunity. I have heard Members from both sides of the House raise the wage subsidy scheme. It is important that we look at bringing it into the Houses of the Oireachtas because it would bring more

such a rapidly growing population each year, is not left behind in terms of implementing key infrastructure and building communities and not just housing. In my home town of Leixlip a housing development with 900 new houses was recently built around the appropriately named Wonderful Barn. This development … funding is allocated adequately so we get the underground and overground infrastructure, and, most importantly, the social infrastructure to go along with the houses and build communities

unchallenged. I welcome the additional money allocated to the SEAI this year. It has a huge part to play in getting our housing stock retrofitted from a climate perspective, but there is something of an issue with heat pumps. Heat pumps appear to be the nirvana when … really difficult for them to change to them. It is easy when it comes to new stock; 99% of new houses built this year have heat pumps installed, and that is fine. For retired people in their later years who live in older houses, however, the cost

will try not to do what the Deputy asked me not to do. We obviously need to look at the housing situation nationally but we also need to work locally, county by county, in relation to housing. That is what we are trying to do. It is what … Ireland, there can be certain ways that local authorities and national government can work together to try to advance a response to the housing challenges. I would point out, though, that we are seeing in Mayo, for example, one of the largest drawdowns in the country

déileáil le go leor de na gnéithe agus na fadhbanna sóisialta atá le feiceáil i sochaí an lae inniu. I thank the House for the opportunity to speak on this week's budget announced by the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers. I want to speak first about allocations … things I most welcome is the increase of €50 in capitation for primary students. We have been made aware in the House of a number of challenges facing primary schools with regard to funding and this capitation increase is a huge step forward in addressing those funding challenges

properties we want it to deliver right across the country. I am very confident that we will get there in terms of our housing delivery model and we will do so over the coming years. Under the national development plan, nearly one in every three euro over … next five years will be into housing or into water to facilitate housing delivery. That shows the commitment from the Government to deliver. The LDA is an absolutely crucial part of that, as are local authorities. A lot of our local authorities are really delivering on social housing

housing activation office is just one piece of an important set of measures we will take to ensure we can unlock housing delivery. We have our State agencies, but the housing activation office will be able to work with those Stage agencies where they identify that land … freed up very quickly for housing delivery to ensure that utilities are in place. The HAO itself has that fund where it needs to spend money quite quickly on key infrastructural projects to unlock land in order that we can get it delivered as quickly as possible. Really

good to see that those figures are quite high and strong, that Cork City Council has a target of 592 houses this year, and that Cork County Council has 683. This will bring in the bones of 1,200 new social houses into the system in Cork city … work that is going on right across the county. I had the pleasure of taking the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, to social housing projects in Macroom and Coachford recently and I see the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, visited many projects right across Cork county

considered all aspects of the scheme. The findings of this review have been considered in the context of the development of the new housing plan, which will be published shortly. The grant has been and continues to be successful in bringing vacant and derelict properties back into … property ladder. A wide range of other schemes are in place that also support the refurbishment and conversion of older buildings for housing. The repair and lease scheme provides an interest-free loan of up to €80,000 per home delivered to support the refurbishment and conversion

extension of the fuel allowance scheme to those on the working family payment will bring welcome relief for families around the country. Housing remains one of the most pressing challenges we face. Budget 2026 builds on the revised €275 million national development plan, with significant investment in housing … healthcare, water, energy, transport and infrastructure. It is clear from this budget that our Government's priority is to strengthen the foundations for housing delivery and build more homes for our people. We do that while we also support infrastructure. This budget supports the delivery of thousands

business, that is the best possible outcome in terms of cost reduction and retaining jobs. This Government is also prioritising the delivery of housing, with €11 billion allocated to the Department of housing, a 20% increase on last year’s budget. This will provide 10,200 additional social … they are not being built because it is not profitable to build them. We need to increase supply of all types of housing and that is what is motivating us. By increasing supply of housing, we are giving the people we represent choice and the opportunity

alongside shameful levels of child poverty; high food prices that just keep climbing; the second highest energy costs in the European Union; a housing supply and affordability crisis; rising rents; and regulation that fails citizens. All of this has not happened by accident. It is the logical outcome … spending at the same time and expect a good outcome for our country. I am one of three survivors still in this House from the Government that marshalled Ireland back to economic growth. Another is the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and my colleague, Deputy Kelly. The Minister should know

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the names, organisations, former responsibilities, current responsibilities and full remuneration, including of secondees, of all appointments to the housing activation office. [41855/25

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total expenditure in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 on social and affordable housing funded through SHIP, CALF, CAS, AHF, CREL, AHB borrowing and LDA expenditure, in tabular form. [41856/25

Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to the review of the vacant property refurbishment grant carried out in 2024, if he has considered introducing phased payments of the grant in order to assist applicants with cash flow in managing … further considered that staged payments would make the scheme more manageable for those that struggle with construction costs and would make more houses available in time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41861/25

Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social housing applications, by local authority that have used the section 179A exemption since 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41972/25

Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the proposed extension to the duration of planning permission applies to one-off rural house planning applications coming towards the end of planning permission, as well as large developments (details supplied); and if he will

Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount estate agents are paid in commission or fees for selling homes under affordable housing schemes funded by the State. [42052/25

Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will continue using public private partnerships as a model of delivering social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42069/25

Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration will be given to increasing the CAS funding to Wicklow County Council to meet the demand for houses purchased under the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42083/25

Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the social housing income thresholds will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42088/25

Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of housing commencements per month of 2025 in County Wicklow, in tabular form. [42089/25

Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of social housing commencements per month of 2025 in County Wicklow, in tabular form. [42090/25

Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the targets for delivering affordable housing in County Wicklow; if he will provide a breakdown of affordable homes delivered in the county in each of the years 2020 to 2025; and if he will make

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the assistance available to people who are not on a social housing list when they are given notice to quit their rental property and are unable to find an alternative place to rent

Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider adopting an approach to cost-rental and affordable purchase housing similar to other European countries such as Denmark which operates on a not-for-profit basis; and if he will make

Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant residential properties across the State currently; the efforts that are being taken to address this issue; the estimated impact on housing supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter

Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the assessments his Department has carried out on the impact of students studying English language courses on housing pressures in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42335/25

Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline his Department’s strategy in relation to the housing needs of students studying on English language courses in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42336/25

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the targeted policies being introduced by his Department to support young adults in accessing affordable housing, to enable family formation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42548/25

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when his revised housing plan will be published. [42748/25

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the awarding of the Housing First tender in Dublin; and to provide an explanation for the delay in the awarding of this tender. [42753/25

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has made any funding available to local authorities to appoint vacancy officers to manage social housing voids; and if so, how much funding for each local authority. [42962/25

Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of the average duration spent on Galway County Council’s social housing waiting list in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make

Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown by local authority of the annual amount spent on local authority housing maintenance. [43594/25

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant properties in County Waterford that could be repurposed for social housing; and the barriers that prevent their repurposing. [43709/25

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the proportion of the national housing stock made up of apartments; how this compares with the OECD average; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43824/25