Construction Industry

253. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the role his Department will play to ensure that there are enough construction workers with the necessary skills to balance the competing priorities of building the Metrolink without placing housing targets at risk, which will require the construction of houses as well the building out the ele…

454. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the campaigns by the Government to attract construction workers to come to Ireland and to return home to Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71091/25]

265. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the specific productivity indicators his Department uses to evaluate the impact of State-funded innovation schemes in the residential construction sector, including Built to Innovate and Construct Innovate, and to confirm whether metrics such as output per labour hour, output per euro of State support, and time-to-co…

266. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the methodology used by his Department to assess value-for-money in the allocation of more than €6.5 million under the Built to Innovate programme for residential construction productivity, including the performance criteria applied to participating firms and the evidence of productivity gains recorded to date. [6890…

267. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the findings of the recent mid-cycle international evaluation of Construct Innovate carried out in November 2025, including the assessment of its productivity-related KPIs, its impact on residential construction delivery, and any recommendations for corrective actions. [68902/25]

339. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the expected date for the publication of the first productivity indicators for residential construction, including those relating to Modern Methods of Construction; and the timeline for updating these indicators annually. [68820/25]

168. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the applicable VAT rate for tools related to the construction sector for those moving to the state; if he has considered revising such in order to encourage and facilitate the return of members of the diaspora; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67553/25]

175. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will consider scrapping the VAT and customs duties imposed on tools belonging to skilled trades people who are returning to Ireland from non-EU countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67977/25]

319. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department will develop specific productivity metrics for the residential construction sector, including output per labour hour and output per euro of State-supported programmes such as Built to Innovate, Construct Innovate and the MMC Demonstration Park; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65725/2…

323. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department will commission, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices, a survey of construction SMEs in Cork city and county to identify barriers to starter-home delivery including material costs, labour shortages, access to finance and regulatory burdens; and if he will make a st…

324. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department will publish regional breakdowns of construction SME challenges, including specific data for Cork city and county, as part of its annual reporting from 2026 onwards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65732/25]

394. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the residential construction productivity levels recorded in 2023 and 2024; how these compare to EU averages; and the measures planned to increase productivity to meet the housing targets. [63924/25]

650. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of construction workers recruited from abroad in the past two years; the number expected to be required to meet the 2030 housing targets; and the supports planned to increase international recruitment where necessary. [63923/25]

651. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of small and medium-sized construction firms currently active in residential building; their expected contribution to housing output to 2030; and the supports being provided to expand their capacity. [63925/25]

652. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated labour hours lost due to planning delays, procurement delays, and infrastructure bottlenecks in the past two years; and the reforms planned to minimise workforce downtime. [63926/25]

1160. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated number of construction workers required annually to meet the housing delivery targets in Delivering Homes, Building Communities; the current size of the construction workforce; and the projected shortfall. [63920/25]

1161. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the apprenticeship intake and completion figures for construction-related trades in 2023 and 2024; the expected intake for 2025; and how these figures align with the workforce required to meet annual housing targets. [63921/25]

1162. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated construction workforce required in Cork city and Cork county to meet regional housing targets under Delivering Homes, Building Communities; the current workforce level; and the actions planned to bridge any shortfall. [63929/25]

1151. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider the introduction of a national trade licensing system for construction workers and contractors, similar to the model used in Australia, to enhance accountability, safety, and quality assurance across the building industry; and if he will make a statement on the matt…

1152. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider the establishment of a dedicated construction training board to address skills shortages and promote continuous professional development across the construction sector with a view to improving quality, safety, and workforce standards in line with national housing an…

28. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an update on the most recent meeting of the construction sector group; if there is a work plan for this group for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60170/25]

1024. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider the introduction of a national trade licensing system for construction workers and contractors, similar to the model used in Australia, to enhance accountability, safety, and quality assurance across the building industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58346/25]

1049. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider the introduction of a national trade licensing system for construction workers and contractors, similar to the model used in Australia, to enhance accountability, safety, and quality assurance across the building industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58758/25]

2161. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 913 of 21 October 2025, if he will provide the key performance indicators and metrics from the campaign from concept to delivery; the number of persons to date that have returned on foot of the campaign. [60205/25]

913. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the amount expended on the build back home campaign to include a schedule of online, broadcast, print dissemination and individuals used to promote the campaign; the countries into which the campaign was delivered; the associated design and consultancy costs to include supplier; duratio…