219. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the work undertaken to date in formalising national planning guidelines for solar energy developments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17741/26]
Topics / Planning Issues
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsPlanning Issues
434 questions from 101 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 21 October 2026.
434
questions
427 written, 7 oral
101
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
15
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 2 |
| February 2025 | 16 |
| March 2025 | 17 |
| April 2025 | 6 |
| May 2025 | 32 |
| June 2025 | 12 |
| July 2025 | 43 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 28 |
| October 2025 | 35 |
| November 2025 | 40 |
| December 2025 | 22 |
| January 2026 | 26 |
| February 2026 | 27 |
| March 2026 | 17 |
| April 2026 | 24 |
| May 2026 | 29 |
| June 2026 | 27 |
| July 2026 | 14 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 10 |
| October 2026 | 7 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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33
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30
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20
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18
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17
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16
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14
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14
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
385. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has issued, or plans to issue, any guidelines, policy frameworks, or technical standards relating to the development of solar farms and battery energy storage systems; if he will outline the regulatory or planning guidance currently in place for these technologies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1…
169. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on plans to amend planning exemptions for modular homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17243/26]
398. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his response to concerns in relation to planning reform and judicial review (details supplied). [16101/26]
656. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason the exemption for protected structures is listed as a potential exception in urban areas of high population under the short-term letting regulations and does not apply to rural areas where many historic structures are not suitable for long-term lets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14363/26]
759. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to publish the updated planning policy statement on short-term letting as its absence has caused significant levels of confusion and anxiety to owners of short-term lettings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12961/26]
767. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on whether it is appropriate for objections or submissions in relation to localised public infrastructure to come from individuals or organisations that do not live or work in the area impacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11674/26]
768. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views of the adequacy of the existing public submission aspect of the planning system; his views on whether it should be more targeted in terms of who any potential change will most impact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11675/26]
777. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to revise planning application fees for An Coimisiún Pleanála, and resources for the planning system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11756/26]
789. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration has been given, in the formulation of the National Planning Statement and its guidance on short term letting (STL), to the position of properties that operate as short term lets but are unlikely to transition to long term residential use, in particular second homes where the owners use the property a number times …
820. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the exempted development guidelines for residential development will be brought into force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12666/26]
821. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the proposed planning exemptions for modular units will be introduced; and if he will allow flexibility for side placement and generous square footage in constrained sites. [12788/26]
822. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 614 of 20 March 2024, the number of houses and duplexes that received planning permission with conditions restricting the bulk buying or multiple sales to a single purchaser and ring-fencing them for owner occupiers following the introduction of new guidelines in May 2021; and if he will make a…
428. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to expedite reform of the National Planning Guidelines for One-Off Housing and give particular attention to areas under significant urban pressure that is, the single biggest contributing factor to local people being refused planning permission; if he will look at back land development, ribbon development and planning permission …
203. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will publish the National planning statement to support short term lets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10892/26]
206. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will address concerns raised in correspondence regarding short-term lettings (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10923/26]
207. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he is aware of concerns raised in recent commentary regarding the persistent failure to enforce planning law against unauthorised quarrying activities, including the observation that affected communities are increasingly forced to rely on environmental and EU legislation rather than domestic planning enforcement to addr…
208. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he is aware of instances in County Galway where unauthorised quarry operations have continued for prolonged periods without effective enforcement action by Galway County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10942/26]
209. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has assessed whether Galway County Council has adequate staffing levels, technical expertise, legal resources and funding to effectively pursue planning enforcement actions against unauthorised quarries; the measures, if any, the Government plans to take to support Galway County Council, including through…
693. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will consider introducing national planning guidance or legislative requirements to provide for the installation of swift nesting boxes in new residential and public developments; if his attention has been drawn to initiatives led by Fingal County Council, including the provision of swift boxes in new local authorit…
694. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has examined the potential biodiversity benefits of requiring swift nesting boxes in new developments, given their low cost, minimal maintenance and role in protecting a declining species; whether such measures could be incorporated into national biodiversity or climate adaptation policy; and if he will make …
697. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current timeline for bicycle storage to become exempted developments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9417/26]
718. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to address the housing crisis by changing national planning guidelines that prevent applicants who wish to build a family home in rural areas (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9995/26]
280. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will publish details of the criteria needed for an accommodation provider (details supplied) to obtain the necessary planning permission in advance on new regulations coming into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8945/26]
705. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether an assessment was undertaken of the practical impact of section 85(1)(c)-(d ) of the Planning and Development Act 2024 on the delivery of grid connections and other long linear infrastructure projects; and if so, to provide the findings of that assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8588/26]