Parliamentary questions

Departmental Data

Patrick Costello

871. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how many vacant property reimbursement grants have been issued by local authority, by month, since its introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37762/23]

Departmental Data

Patrick Costello

872. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how many derelict property top-up grants have been issued by local authority, by month, since its introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37763/23]

Vacant Properties

Patrick Costello

873. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant sites on the local authorities vacant site register for each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37764/23]

Vacant Properties

Patrick Costello

874. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a breakdown of the unpaid vacant site levies due to each local authority over the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37765/23]

Derelict Sites

Patrick Costello

875. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of derelict sites on the local authorities derelict site register for each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37766/23]

Derelict Sites

Patrick Costello

876. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the unpaid derelict site levies due to each local authority over the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37767/23]

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Patrick Costello

877. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 709 of 18 April 2023, if he will provide an update on the CPO Activation Programme; if he will provide a breakdown, by local authority of the number of CPOs of vacant properties completed, ongoing and under consideration, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37768/23]

Vacant Properties

Patrick Costello

878. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to assist the local authorities in Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Galway County, Kerry, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Tipperary and Westmeath, to establish a vacant sites register and to enforce and collect the 7% annual vacant sites levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37769/23]

Derelict Sites

Patrick Costello

879. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to assist local authorities to enforce and collect the 7% annual derelict sites levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37770/23]

Departmental Data

Patrick Costello

880. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether it is the relevant local authority or his Department that processes vacant property refurbishment grants; the average response time for an initial application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37771/23]

Planning Issues

Patrick Costello

882. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a breakdown in tabular form of the number of staff, and their grade currently, employed within An Bord Pleanála, highlighting if they are employed on a part-time or full-time basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37821/23]

Planning Issues

Patrick Costello

883. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a breakdown in tabular form of the number of vacant staffing positions and their grade within An Bord Pleanála; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37822/23]

Planning Issues

Patrick Costello

888. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list of all actions taken by his Department regarding the Mulcahy report in relation to planning issues in Donegal between its delivery to his Department in 2017 and August 2023. [37864/23]

Fire Safety

Patrick Costello

889. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update in relation to the provision of emergency funding for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013, given the recent fire in a non-compliant Navan apartment complex; how much funding will be made available in 2023; how it will be accessed; when the funding scheme will be accessible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37867/23]

Referendum Campaigns

Patrick Costello

908. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the proposed referendum on the right to housing will take place in 2023. [38371/23]

Rental Sector

Patrick Costello

936. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the rent-a-room scheme has been extended to include social houses to avail of the €14,000 tax free benefit, if he will clarify the rules governing this extension, specifically relating to the requirement to disclose the tenant and seek pre-approval for the potential tenant and the minimum standards put in place for this extension and the enforcement mechanism for such standards. [38794/23]

Rental Sector

Patrick Costello

937. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the rent-a-room scheme pre-approval functions are to be carried out and administered by county councils, the extent to which councils are getting involved in the selection of tenants and overseeing the process. [38795/23]

Rental Sector

Patrick Costello

938. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for the rent-a-room scheme what are the minimum standards being introduced to ensure uptake of the scheme is done by homeowners with appropriate and suitable properties, similar to minimum standards associated with the rental of properties not included in the scheme. [38796/23]

Rental Sector

Patrick Costello

939. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to the rent-a-room scheme, if the Government is nominating a dispute resolution mechanism for issues that might arise in the context of a tenancy relationship established through availing of the scheme; if this function is being extended to the Residential Tenancies Board; and the extra resources that the RTB will be offered by the Government to gain capacity to address such issues adequately. [38798/23]

Social Welfare Code

Patrick Costello

1002. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider increasing the maximum hours those in receipt of carer's allowance are allowed to work each week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37865/23]

Social Welfare Code

Patrick Costello

1003. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider increasing the maximum weekly income allowances for the means test in relation to carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37866/23]

Departmental Records

Patrick Costello

1091. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 1107 of 21 March 2023, if her Departmental files relating to the High Court, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights cases in relation to proposals for gay law reform which resulted in a landmark judgement and decriminalisation thirty years ago are going to be made publicly accessible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37463/23]

Departmental Expenditure

Patrick Costello

1097. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an itemised breakdown of the allocation and spending to date for the year 2023 of the Youth Justice funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37536/23]

Departmental Expenditure

Patrick Costello

1098. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an itemised breakdown of the allocation and spending for the past five years of the Youth Justice funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37537/23]

Prison Service

Patrick Costello

1099. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the number of the 100 proposed additional prison officers who have been hired for the Irish Prison Service; the prisons to which they are assigned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37538/23]

An Garda Síochána

Patrick Costello

1100. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for a breakdown, in tabular form, for the past ten years, of the total number of community gardaí; where they were located, by division and Garda station; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37539/23]

Departmental Expenditure

Patrick Costello

1101. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the allocations of the 2023 community safety innovation fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37540/23]

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Patrick Costello

1102. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the breakdown, in tabular form over the past ten years, by county, of safe refuge accommodation places for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37541/23]

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Patrick Costello

1103. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice if, given the recent CSO data which outlined only "12% of people who experienced child sexual abuse disclosed it to gardaí" and only "5% of adults who experienced sexual violence as an adult and disclosed to gardaí", she will outline the measures she is taking to encourage victims of sexual violence to disclose details of these experiences to gardaí; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37542/23]

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Patrick Costello

1104. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for a breakdown of the numbers of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence cases reported to gardaí over the past ten years which have led to a successful court prosecution; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37543/23]

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Patrick Costello

1105. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for a breakdown, in tabular form, of the number and rank of gardaí assigned to the divisional protective service units (DPSUs) in each of the 28 Garda divisions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37544/23]

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Patrick Costello

1106. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for a breakdown, in tabular form, of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence offences data for the past ten years, broken down by Garda station, to include, but not limited to: coercive control; breach of interim barring order; breach of protection order; breach of barring order; breach of safety order; domestic - no offence identified; breach of emergency barring order; and any incident type with a recorded motive of 'domestic abuse'; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37545/23]

Road Traffic Offences

Patrick Costello

1107. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the breakdown, in tabular form, over the past ten years by Garda station and division, of the number of road traffic offences such as, but not limited to, speeding; careless driving; dangerous driving; using your mobile phone while driving; drink driving; drug driving;and dangerously defective driving; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37546/23]

Road Traffic Offences

Patrick Costello

1108. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the number of breath tests that were recorded on An Garda Síochána's Pulse computer system; the number of alcohol testing devices used each month for the years 2018 to 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37547/23]

An Garda Síochána

Patrick Costello

1109. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the breakdown, in tabular form, over the past ten years, of the number of speed vans operated by a company (details supplied) on behalf of An Garda Síochána, by Garda station and division; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37548/23]

An Garda Síochána

Patrick Costello

1110. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the breakdown, in tabular form, over the past ten years, of the number of An Garda Síochána vehicles fitted with Puma automatic number plate recognition detection equipment, by Garda station and division; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37549/23]

Road Traffic Accidents

Patrick Costello

1111. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the breakdown, in tabular form, over the past ten years, by Garda station and division, for the number of road traffic deaths; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37550/23]

Prison Service

Patrick Costello

1112. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the latest status of the unpublished Dóchas prison reports by the Inspector of Prisons; when such reports will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37578/23]

Probation and Welfare Service

Patrick Costello

1157. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the number of probation officers currently working in each prison in the State; and the number of current vacancies and the number of probation officers, by institution, over the period from 2005 to date. [38309/23]

An Garda Síochána

Patrick Costello

1159. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for a breakdown in tabular form for the past five years for the number and ranks of gardaí in the Garda Reserves; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38316/23]

An Garda Síochána

Patrick Costello

1160. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the six strategic objectives outlined in the Garda Reserve Strategy 2021-2025; the progress made to date on those objectives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38317/23]

Crime Prevention

Patrick Costello

1161. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on Dublin city centre community safety partnership plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38320/23]

Departmental Strategies

Patrick Costello

1162. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027-2027; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38321/23]

Departmental Strategies

Patrick Costello

1163. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice when she will be carrying out the mid-term review of the Youth Justice Strategy 2021 - 2027; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38322/23]

Crime Prevention

Patrick Costello

1164. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the 12 Youth Diversion Projects in the greater Dublin area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38324/23]

Departmental Funding

Patrick Costello

1165. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice if he will increase the funding available to the Youth Diversion Projects programme given the increase of criminal incidents involving people under the age of 18 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38325/23]

An Garda Síochána

Patrick Costello

1166. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on Operation Citizen; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38326/23]

An Garda Síochána

Patrick Costello

1167. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for a breakdown by division, in tabular form, for the number and ranks of gardai assigned to Operation Citizen per month since its commencement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38327/23]

Court Judgments

Patrick Costello

1168. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice her views on the increasing number of short-term prison sentences being imposed by Judges given research has shown short-term sentences are generally ineffective in terms of rehabilitation and deterrence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38328/23]

Departmental Reports

Patrick Costello

1169. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the progress report in relation to the mental health and addiction challenges of people interacting with the criminal justice system; when this is due to the published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38329/23]