Local Authorities

452. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if local authority staffing is still subject to workforce planning; if so, if he will provide the criteria used and the documents underpinning the workforce plan; the baselines used; if this is reviewed post the publication of a census of population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47315/26]

453. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Questions Nos.1691 and 1695 of 14 April 2026, the number of new staff sanctioned for hire in all local authorities in each of the years 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026; and the number of new hires realised in those years. [47317/26]

457. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he recognises the financial difficulties being faced by older persons and pensioners due to increases in rents under local authority differential rent schemes; if consideration will be given to introducing protections for pensioners and those on fixed incomes who are seeing their rents increase based on sma…

332. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of updated costs for each local authority to employ an archaeologist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46700/26]

334. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated cost of recruiting one full-time professional archaeologist for every local authority area in the State. [46827/26]

567. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in noting that Dublin City Council has had to pause its financial contribution scheme, when will his Department allocate funding and introduce a national right sizing policy that will allow local authorities re-establish this important scheme. [45104/26]

569. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when his Department will allocate funding and introduce a national right sizing policy that will allow local authorities re-establish a scheme given that Dublin City Council has had to pause its financial contribution scheme. [45155/26]

197. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the project undertaken by Galway City Council to repair the slipway in Salthill that allows wheelchair access to the beach; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44500/26]

250. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she has received correspondence from local authorities that notified her of their vote in support of the OTB; the way in which they were responded to; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43544/26]

703. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department has engaged with the Galway County Council to support them in taking ownership of Dunguaire Castle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42736/26]

1032. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he intends to publish the financial returns from the nine lead authorities on their expenditure on homelessness services for 2025; and the lead authorities Q4 Performance Reports for 2025. [41735/26]

1035. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of staffing sanction requests approved by his Department for Cavan, Wexford, Mayo and Donegal County Councils in the period of 1 January 2023 to 1 May 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41896/26]

1076. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the fact that the majority of local authority housing maintenance expenditure nationally is reactive rather than planned; the steps he is taking to support local authorities to transition to a planned, cyclical maintenance model; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42549/26]

1077. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority dwellings that have been the subject of a stock condition survey to date; the projected date by which such surveys will be completed across the entire social housing stock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42550/26]

1078. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the rollout of the national housing asset management system being delivered through the Local Government Management Agency; the number of local authorities currently using the system; and when it will be fully operational across all local authorities. [42551/26]

1079. 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 a statement on the matter. [42552/26]

1080. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the average per-unit funding allowance provided under the Voids Programme has been reviewed in the context of construction cost inflation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42553/26]

1081. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which he reconciles the stated policy of transitioning from a reactive voids approach to a planned maintenance approach with the continued operation of the Voids Programme as the principal maintenance funding stream; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42554/26]

1085. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department collects data on the length of time that social housing units remain vacant; the number of local authority dwellings nationally that have been vacant for more than 24 months; and the specific measures available nationally to address dwellings that are long-term vacant due to the scale of refur…

1088. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement his Department has had with Galway County Council to support them in the purchase of Dunguaire Castle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42735/26]

1105. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has considered aligning the adaptation of the ten year county development plans in 2029 to ensure consistent and continuity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42947/26]

691. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to state the total cost of the development levy and water connection waiver for each year it has been in operation to date; and the number of homes each year for which the waiver has applied with a breakdown by local authority area. [39320/26]

268. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of stock audits undertaken in 2025 and 2026 to date, by county, in tabular form. [38602/26]

334. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will consider providing funding for the local improvement scheme on a multi annual basis; to ensure local authorities who administer the scheme can deliver them in a more efficient and cost-effective manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38345/26]

165. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the work of the Local Democracy Taskforce; when the report will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37503/26]