Search the record

Dara hUair anois." I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The starting point of this Bill is that the housing crisis is a complete and utter catastrophe, and we need something to radically change. Over two years ago, the Housing Commission, an official body … Government, recommended that a right to housing should be inserted in the Constitution. Since then, the coalition of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has let that recommendation gather dust on the shelf, all the while ramming through rental reforms that benefit large investor landlords. Today, I move

welcome the opportunity to speak today on the work of the Housing Commission and the significant work the Government is doing and will continue to do to implement the commission’s recommendations. Before I do so, I wish to say I am honoured to have been afforded … opportunity to take on the housing brief. I look forward to contributing to an area which has the potential to significantly enhance the lives of people in our society. This afternoon I will update the House on the work ongoing in my Department since the publication

glad to be able to speak on this Bill. I am as confused as many others. We have a desperate housing crisis that we have failed to tackle. We have debate in this House. We have ideology, really, coming from the left and a lack of solutions coming … there is a need for them in many areas. Instead, we should be talking about the pressure cooker that is the lack of housing for the young and not so young - many of them are quite old - and the inability to solve the housing crisis. I know

move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." On 19 May this year, the Government approved the publication of the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. This Bill is structured in three Parts, the two substantive elements being Part 2 and Part 3, which … deal with amendments to the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 around eligibility for social housing, and the second, Part 3, which introduces a number of technical amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. The publication of the Bill follows pre-legislative scrutiny by the Oireachtas committee on housing

move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "recognises that: — Housing for All sets out an ambitious multi-annual programme that seeks to deliver more than 300,000 new homes by 2030; — record levels of investment are being provided … delivery of housing in 2025, with overall capital funding now available of almost €6.8 billion; — the capital provision for 2025 is supplemented by a further €1.65 billion in current funding to address housing need; — over 36,700 social homes have been delivered under Housing

move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: acknowledges that: — the new housing plan 'Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030: An Action Plan on Housing Supply and Targeting Homelessness', is focussed on putting in place the conditions to enable delivery … their own; — it seeks to significantly accelerate delivery of new homes by focusing on activating land and creating the optimal environment to encourage housing activity, including regulatory reform, tax incentives and the largest ever capital investment in the history of the State, with €275 billion invested in infrastructure

move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "acknowledges that: — Housing for All sets out an ambitious multi-annual programme that seeks to deliver more than 300,000 new homes between 2022 and 2030; — more than 133,000 new build homes … were delivered between 2020 and 2024, with 92,500 of these delivered between 2022 and 2024, exceeding the Housing for All target for the period by some 5,500 or so new homes, and a 49 per cent increase on the quantum delivered in the previous three-year

move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "acknowledges that: — Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland, sets out an ambitious multi-annual programme that seeks to deliver more than 300,000 new homes between 2022 and 2030; — since … Housing for All was published in September 2021, almost 120,000 homes have been added to the National Housing Stock, with delivery of 92,500 new homes in the three years from 2022 to 2024, representing a considerable 49 per cent increase on the quantum delivered

dark cramped shoeboxes. Those who are making this decision are not living in small apartments. They are likely to be living in houses. The reality is that it is one law and one set of housing for one group of people, while for the generations coming up behind … right to make decisions which affect future generations once it is not affecting the voter base of those who are living in a house now. Of course, they are failing to see that their voter base is increasingly older people whose children cannot move out and cannot afford

move: That Dáil Éireann: acknowledges that: — the persistent shortfall in the delivery of housing, particularly social, affordable, and cost-rental units, constitutes a structural failure of public policy; — successive Governments have fallen short of their own housing delivery targets, and a significant proportion of zoned, developable land remains … rooted in the need for accountability, has created a delivery environment that is adversarial, inefficient, and increasingly unfit for the urgency of the housing crisis; and — a generation of young Irish people are increasingly being forced to emigrate, as any possibility of home ownership slips further

move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "recognises that: — Housing for All, sets out an ambitious multi-annual programme that seeks to deliver more than 300,000 new homes by 2030; — record levels of investment are being provided … delivery of housing in 2025, with overall capital funding now available of almost €6.8 billion; — this provision includes €450 million to support the delivery of 3,000 additional social, affordable and cost rental homes in the period 2025 – 2027; and €265 million to allow for a significant programme

give concluding statements. He will be kept up to date as to the comments made during the statements from right across the House. I welcome the opportunity to come before the House to speak on this most important issue of homelessness and the work being undertaken by this … Government in responding to it. I will set out how the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, is building on the progress made in recent years to increase housing delivery across the board and social housing, in particular. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, will outline

appreciate the opportunity to address the House on this important matter. Addressing homelessness is a top priority for the Government. We remain committed to working with all key stakeholders to reduce and prevent homelessness across Ireland, including homelessness among our more vulnerable people, including our older people, disabled … people and Travellers. Our new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, is an integrated housing and homelessness plan in which the Government recognises that homelessness is the single most pressing social issue that we face. The plan introduces a number of new measures to address homelessness. One priority

driver of strong economic growth, and there are now a record number of people at work in Ireland, and this population requires housing and supporting infrastructure; and — there has also been a growth in energy demand and in the energy intensity required for modern manufacturing and large-scale … servers, due to the requirements of modern technology; recognises that: — the measures introduced under Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland, have helped establish a solid platform to 'scale-up' delivery of housing in the short-term, and secure a sustainable level of supply that will

thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward the motion today on voids in council housing. I have worked for many years in the area of public and council housing. One of the key issues is that local authorities, historically, for the past 30 or 40 years, have been … just undermined but effectively decommissioned in their role in housing. I remember this clearly from when I worked in council housing in Dublin for many years. I worked as a regeneration worker in social housing flats on issues of voids and tried to work with the council

very much welcome this opportunity to come before the House to discuss the Government’s new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The development of this new housing plan was a commitment under the programme for Government. It reaffirms that housing is the number one priority … expects that all people and organisations, whether public or private, will play their part in tackling the challenges we face in increasing housing supply and reducing homelessness. The Government is entirely focused on building 300,000 new homes. By the end of 2030, there will

move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — a housing emergency exists in the State; and — housing is a human right as enshrined in Article 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights; further notes that: — 15,286 homeless people, including 4,603 children, were in emergency accommodation … January 2025; — the typical listed house price across the country is €346,080, 11.6 per cent higher than a year ago and 35 per cent higher than at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Dublin figure is €460,726, up 12.2 per cent on last

will start by thanking Deputy Hearne for bringing forward this Bill to amend the Constitution to include a right to housing. While the Government cannot support the Bill at this time, I welcome the opportunity to set out the Government’s position on this important issue. Our housing … plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, 2025-2030, sets out that housing is a basic human right. The Deputy will be aware that almost one third of all our National Development Plan, NDP, funding is going towards housing and water infrastructure. It is important to remember that kind

Kildare, I saw that at first hand. I saw it from the point of view of the person who could not get a house, obtain zoning for land or build a house. We have seen planning permissions come in. In some locations, the people have been against them … others people have been for them, so delivering houses, as we know, is very complex. A commission report like this tries to deal with the larger issues and to cut across the issue. We know it is an impossible task just to try to crystallise what is happening

First, I want to make it crystal clear that I myself only own one house and I am not in the rental business or never have been. I want to make that absolutely clear. I only own one house. I am very concerned about the six-year rule … night, to build or buy these homes and they have a constitutional right to determine how long they want to rent their house out for to tenants. Tenants and landlords need each other - one as much as the other. For the most part, 70% or 80% of landlords

thank the Minister of State for facilitating this debate. Obviously, I roundly welcome the Housing Finance Agency (Amendment) Bill 2025. It sets out to do something very simple which is to increase the statutory borrowing limit for the Housing Finance Agency, which is critically important, from €12 billion … that limit was increased from €10 billion to €12 billion. This reflects the scale of lending that is taking place by the Housing Finance Agency but also the various initiatives the Government is supporting to try to deliver additional housing across the sectors, through the local authorities

debate. We have had a good discussion. Time and again, Ministers do not engage with the substance of the debate in the House and do not stay to respond to the points made by the Opposition. Far too often, it feels like we are shouting into a void … listening or responding to the key issues we put before them. It was remarkable to hear the Minister talk down public investment in housing the week before a budget. He talked about the State not being able to provide all the housing the country needs. We need

thank the Minister of State. I thank the officials from the Department of housing for the two very detailed briefings they gave us on Monday and Tuesday and for the follow-on assistance they have given us to try to get our heads around this complex legislation … short time. The central proposition of this Bill is twofold. One is to take the existing eligibility rules for people to access social housing support and put them on a statutory basis, while the other is to provide an appeals mechanism for people refused social housing support, those

investment funds, happened under the Fine Gael and Labour Party Government that came into power in 2011. I came into the House in 2011 and I remember so well Michael Noonan saying it was necessary to restabilise the Irish property market. At the time some of us said … have been reading over some of the stuff and a huge amount of the property was in the Dublin area where the housing crisis is now concentrated. NAMA had the potential to build about 86,000 housing units. Some of us proposed at that time that

glad to have a chance to mention a few issues this. Housing, as we all know, is so important. There is so much talk about it and so many people are not able to be housed. I understand the Bill is to borrow more money to build more … houses and to provide more housing. If this is the case, I welcome it. I have stated here in recent weeks that many people are leaving our shores because when they are between the ages of 25 and 32, they realise they cannot buy or build a house

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the social housing development schemes which are and may be affected by his decision to withhold funding for same; if he will provide an assurance that there is no delay in any of the following … social housing flat complexes regeneration or refurbishment schemes at Basin Street, Oliver Bond House, Dolphin House, Emmet Buildings, Vicar Street, School Street, Cherry Orchard, Labre Park, La Touche Court, Bernard Curtis House, or Lissadel maisonettes in Dublin. [35132/25

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of the retrofitting targets in social housing in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; to provide a breakdown of how many retrofits were completed … social housing in the corresponding timeframe; to provide a breakdown of the retrofitting targets in social housing; to provide a breakdown of how many retrofits were completed to BER B2 standard or higher in social housing; to provide a breakdown of the retrofitting targets in social housing

Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider introducing legislation similar to the United Kingdom’s Awaab’s Law, which sets legal time limits for the remediation of serious health hazards, such as damp and mould in social housing … will respond to the findings of the recent Trinity College Dublin and The Liberties Community Project ‘Respiratory Health Among Residents of Oliver Bond House’ report which identified rates of asthma among the Oliver Bond House population 2.4 times higher than among individuals with addresses in the same vicinity

Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider introducing legislation similar to the United Kingdom’s Awaab’s Law, which sets legal time limits for the remediation of serious health hazards such as damp and mould in social housing … will respond to the findings of the recent Trinity College Dublin and the Liberties Community Project ‘Respiratory Health Among Residents of Oliver Bond House’ report which identified rates of asthma among the Oliver Bond House population 2.4 times higher than among individuals with addresses in the same vicinity

Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that Government-funded approved housing bodies (AHBs) are competing with potential owner occupiers to buy houses, and in Limerick analysis suggests that AHBs buy six out of every ten new homes … which is totally distorting the market; if there is a strategy in place to ensure a good mix in future housing developments, to allow owner occupiers purchase houses in new estates and to avoid the mistakes of the past, whereby there was often an over concentration of social

Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number and locations of housing schemes and the number of housing units that have been approved using the single stage approval process for social housing and affordable housing projects since the single stage process

Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the growing number of older persons who are experiencing significant anxiety and uncertainty regarding housing following marital separation or divorce (details supplied); the supports and options available to individuals in these … circumstances; if persons in this position are eligible to apply for social housing or be placed on the housing list; the criteria applied in assessing such applications; and if there are specific schemes, supports, or interim measures available to assist older individuals who find themselves unable to secure

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether local authority Housing Delivery Action Plans are required to include specific affordable housing targets; the way in which compliance with those plans is monitored; whether any local authority has been formally challenged by his Department … failure to progress affordable housing schemes; if he will strengthen these plans by making affordable housing targets mandatory, time-bound and enforceable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8400/26

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of concerns amongst homeowners that have received emails from the Housing Agency, confirming that a third party chartered engineering consultancy services provider (details supplied) which was engaged by the Housing Agency … well as their personal data for contact purposes may have been impacted; and if he will urgently seek absolute assurance from the Housing Agency that no data has been lost or compromised that will be subject to examination or investigation by the Independent Appeals Panel or the Office

Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he still plans to assign a housing 'tsar'; if so, the cost associated with this position; to clarify the specific role relating to the speeding up of the housing delivery, considering we already have three … housing Ministers, a Secretary General, a whole team of assistant secretaries general and a multitude of agencies, or whether this is a necessity due to the current Government failure to deliver on its housing programme as promised. [24652/25

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 258 of 1 May 2025, regarding the affordable housing and social housing scheme at Tober Ciúin, Ardmore, County Waterford, with particular regard to whether the development is to consist solely … social housing units with no affordable housing units as per his response; and if this was incorrect, if he will correct his answer. [24480/25

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the new housing first tender being run by the housing first office; and the impact on current supports to housing first tenants and the creation of new housing first tenancies arising

Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will revise current housing policies to ensure fairness for older individuals who have contributed to society throughout their lives, specifically, many retirees who only become eligible for placement on the housing waiting list once … upon retirement, a situation which forces them to face unaffordable market rental rates and wait times of up to 10 years for social housing; if he will establish a dedicated mechanism that prioritises and expedites access to affordable and social housing for retirees; and if he will make

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Exchequer funding for the Housing First scheme is separate to the acquisitions funding announced March 2025; the amount of funding allocated to Housing First in 2025; and the reason his Department is preventing approved … housing bodies from utilising capital assistance leasing funding for Housing first Acquisitions. [12125/25

Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of European Union and European investment bank financing which is planned, targeted or anticipated to support housing and housing-related infrastructure in Ireland for each year from 2026 to 2030, broken down by region … where available, in tabular form; and the measures being taken to maximise the use of such financing under relevant EU affordable housing initiatives. [73647/26

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which his Department and the Housing Activation Office are ensuring that significant housing and population growth in Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk is matched by the timely provision of supporting infrastructure, including schools … childcare, public transport, water and wastewater infrastructure and primary healthcare; and whether a mechanism exists to assess such infrastructure requirements alongside projected housing delivery in rapidly growing areas. [71694/26

Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the housing supports available to a person who is over the income threshold to apply for local authority housing but is under the income threshold to avail of cost rental housing; and if he will make

Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps being taken to regulate online bidding in housing sales to ensure that bids are genuine and not being used to artificially inflate house prices; and whether he will consider introducing rules similar to those … number of Australian states which ensure underquoting of guide prices by estate agents in the second hand housing market is tackled by requiring an estimated selling price is backed by comparable sales evidence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67264/26

Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of private house calls that HSE pest control services attended within the Dublin region in 2025 and to-date in 2026; the average time it take for pest control services to attend a private house call after … request to the pest control service; and if the HSE pest control services carries out subsequent work at a private house, after an initial call which discovers that work is need to be carried out regarding pest control at the house. [53430/26

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the priority the Government is giving to the delivery of affordable housing throughout County Kerry for working individuals and families who are above the income threshold for social housing but cannot afford to purchase a home … current market prices; if funding has been set aside to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing schemes in Kerry. [51039/26

Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the policy of his Department is to require former co-habiting couples to provide legal separation documents to a housing authority in order for one of the couple to be considered for social housing … housing assistance payment; his views on whether such a policy places an extraordinary burden on individuals in this situation in legal expenses and delayed application time; if he will review this process in order make it simpler and less expensive, by requiring a statutory declaration signed

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the criteria used by his Department, and by any Government housing support schemes under its remit, to determine whether a dwelling is classified as a modular home or modular housing unit; whether homes constructed using modern … methods of construction that incorporate traditional brick and mortar elements may be eligible for schemes or measures intended to support modular housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48022/26

Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if local authority owned social housing is subject to the same minimum standards and independent inspection regime as private rented dwellings under the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019; and if he will make

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people with physical impairments currently on housing waiting lists in emergency accommodation or living in inappropriate or institutional settings; the steps being taken to increase the availability of accessible housing … will ensure that housing policy aligns with the State’s commitment to independent living under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including reducing reliance on institutional care settings for adults under 65. [43380/26

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Planning Policy Statements on short-term letting, rural housing, Gaeltacht housing, islands housing will be published. [37102/26