Local Authorities

721. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the recommended number of planners for county councils nationwide, as per various reports and reviews, to enable them to manage their growing workload and function in a timely efficient manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23607/25]

722. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how any shortfall will be addressed and new planners recruited as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23608/25]

723. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether all county councils have been instructed to recruit overseas as well as in the Irish market to fill vacancies, including posts in the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23609/25]

724. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage f he can provide any monitoring function or statistics or reports on the time it takes to get pre-planning meetings at the various county councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23610/25]

734. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of planners working in county councils nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23622/25]

735. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of hold appropriate professional planning qualifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23623/25]

743. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on his engagement with Cork City Council regarding 33 families in Cork city whose homes are sale agreed under the tenant-in-situ scheme but for whom Cork City Council do not have funds to complete the purchase of their homes. [23788/25]

757. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to immediately request local authorities to refrain from increasing rents (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23979/25]

762. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for details of the number of architects currently employed by local authorities, broken down by local authority; the number of vacant local authority architect posts there are, broken down by local authority; and for details of any plans to increase the number employed. [23989/25]

763. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for details of the qualifications required to take up a post as a local authority medical adjudicator. [23990/25]

275. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the total funding allocated to Galway City Council and Galway County Council over the past five years for district heating initiatives, including both project development and feasibility studies, by project and year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19639/25]

276. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if any new or expanded funding supports are planned to assist Galway City Council and Galway County Council to develop district heating schemes as part of Ireland’s climate and energy goals; if he will provide details of any such commitments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19640/25]

277. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the funding provided over the past five years to Galway City Council and Galway County Council for the purpose of advancing district heating projects or carrying out feasibility assessments; the breakdown, by project and local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19641/25]

278. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if additional financial supports are being considered for local authorities such as Galway City Council and Galway County Council to progress district heating schemes in line with national climate targets; if so, the upcoming or planned initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19642/25]

1203. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of the total number of local authority home loan applications, by local authority; and the number of successful applications, in tabular form. [19247/25]

1235. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No.15 of 20 March 2025, if his Department has contacted Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council to request updates on the current role and activities of their respective accessibility officers; if so, whether the findings can be shared; and if he will make a statement o…

1302. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he intends to instruct local authorities to reduce the interest rates for their long standing variable interest mortgage holders, as the last reduction was October 2023 and there have been multiple interest rate cuts by the ECB since this time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20233/25]

2640. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development his views on the merits of supporting projects at a local authority level that would create cookery classes and cookbooks designed to include food from the countries of those in IPAS accommodation to further allow for community integration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21062/25]

262. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant homes officers employed in each local authority; the number of posts that are vacant; the cost of employing each officer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18152/25]

263. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount that is owed as of March 2025 to each local authority for expenditure on the provision of housing, by local authority, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18174/25]

280. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline for finalising and publishing the revised local authority level social and affordable housing targets for the 2025 to 2030 period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18334/25]

153. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the new revenue-raising measures under consideration for granting local authorities, in particular, for Dublin City Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17867/25]

154. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the new debt-raising measures and financial instruments are under consideration for granting local authorities, in particular, for Dublin City Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17868/25]

605. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the recently introduced regulations that have had the effect of disqualifying pensioners on a low income from seeking financial assistance by way of a grant from a local authority to replace a household boiler that is beyond economic repair will be reversed as the cost of an alternative system like air to …

606. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department could look to increase the local authority home loan in Kildare, given that the figure currently is maxed at €360,000 and the average cost of a house in Kildare is currently above that figure. [16732/25]