Parliamentary questions

Local Authorities

Niamh Smyth

378. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to review correspondence from Monaghan County Council (details supplied); and if he will address the issues highlighted and respond to same. [24729/24]

Defective Building Materials

Joe McHugh

379. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider a more flexible approach to the rebuild location under the defective blocks scheme, particularly in relation to families with acute health conditions that wish to stay in their homes during construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24746/24]

Parking Provision

Michael Healy-Rae

380. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of a request (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24755/24]

Planning Issues

John Brady

381. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to three previous Parliamentary Questions (details supplied), the status of the investigation into alleged planning irregularities with Wicklow County Council; if an investigation has now taken place; if so, the outcome of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24760/24]

Legislative Measures

Niall Collins

382. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to provide legislation to regulate light pollution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24767/24]

Housing Provision

Pat Buckley

383. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide, in tabular form, a detailed update on the completion of social and affordable housing units in the east Cork area, including unit size, cost, rent levels if not on set council rates, or unit-cost for the purchaser in the case of to-buy schemes for the years 2020 to 2023 and to date in 2024. [24785/24]

Housing Provision

Pat Buckley

384. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on planned new social and affordable housing units for east Cork over the next five years, including expected unit size, cost, completion deadline and any additional details. [24786/24]

Water Services

Ivana Bacik

385. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will expand the powers of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities in respect of investigating failures by Uisce Éireann to provide an adequate service. [24791/24]

Water Services

Ivana Bacik

386. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the adequacy of powers of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities in respect of service provision by Uisce Éireann, particularly in respect of the prohibition on investigation until such a time as Uisce Éireann has completed the complaint process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24792/24]

Water Services

Ivana Bacik

387. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the need for a compensation scheme for businesses forced to close on a continued basis due to water outages. [24795/24]

Housing Schemes

Verona Murphy

388. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what financial assistance, if any, is available to assist with the cost of works on a house due to rising damp in the home of an individual who is registered blind, living alone, in full-time employment and owns their own home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24797/24]

Housing Schemes

Robert Troy

389. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason local authorities are now seeking P21s for pensioners in relation to housing adaption and housing aid grants (details supplied); and his views on whether this is waste of resources across various Departments and that local authorities need to be instructed to cease seeking this information. [24801/24]

Rental Sector

Holly Cairns

390. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to consider extending the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board to cover all tenants under the rent-a-room scheme; to detail any work undertaken by his Department on this issue to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24810/24]

Housing Provision

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

391. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when a development (details supplied) will be given to a local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24812/24]

National Parks and Wildlife Service

Alan Kelly

392. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of residences that the NPWS currently owns; and the number of those residences that are currently occupied, unoccupied and uninhabitable, in tabular form. [24890/24]

Rental Sector

Duncan Smith

393. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is an official pause on the cost-rental tenant-in-situ scheme; if such a pause exists, how long it is intended to last for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24924/24]

Housing Provision

Marian Harkin

394. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason some local authorities clarify what position applicants for social housing are on the housing list; the reason some do not provide that information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24932/24]

Rental Sector

Thomas Pringle

395. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has plans to make rental date public as recommended by the Housing Commission Report including the cost of rents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24955/24]

Rental Sector

Thomas Pringle

396. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will resource the Private Residential Tenancies Board to take a proactive role in investigating improper conducts by landlords, rather than placing the onus on tenants to highlight this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24956/24]

Planning Issues

Seán Canney

397. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will amend the waiver scheme for developments where the planning is for retention and completion and where utility connection charges apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24983/24]

Waterways Issues

Chris Andrews

398. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the hoarding around the canal will be removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25001/24]

Water Services

Michael Fitzmaurice

399. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that Uisce Éireann’s delivery programme has been truncated because of inflation costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25010/24]

Water Services

Michael Fitzmaurice

400. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is going to increase Uisce Éireann’s budget to account for inflation costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25012/24]

Water Services

Michael Fitzmaurice

401. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, in light of water quality reports and need for sewage treatment plants upgrade and new builds due to extra housing, he will increase the budget that is required for these works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25014/24]

Water Services

Michael Fitzmaurice

402. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if future infrastructural projects that are required to accommodate the housing that is required are properly funded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25015/24]

Planning Issues

Seán Sherlock

403. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider waiving development fees for large extensions on homes similar to the waiving of fees for new builds, where it can be demonstrated that the extension allows the family remain in their existing home and not warrant a new or larger home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25077/24]

Departmental Staff

Catherine Murphy

404. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of WTE quantity surveyors grade 1 employed by his Department in the years of 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [25104/24]

Rental Sector

Paul Kehoe

405. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider increasing the income threshold for HAP or introducing additional supports for people who are struggling to pay rent but whose income is above the threshold for HAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25126/24]

Rental Sector

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

406. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can clarify if or when a rent pressure zone will be introduced in County Donegal to reflect the huge increases in rent over recent years. [25219/24]

Planning Issues

Catherine Connolly

407. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of section 179A planning exemptions that have received stage 1 approval from his Department, broken down by local authority, including the location and number of units in each scheme, in tabular form; the number of such schemes which have commenced construction to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25229/24]

Planning Issues

Catherine Connolly

408. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of section 179A social housing planning exemptions that have received stage 1 approval from his Department, broken down by local authority, including the location and number of units in each scheme, in tabular form; the number of such schemes which have commenced construction to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25230/24]

Energy Conservation

Darren O'Rourke

409. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 50 of 14 May 2024, the target for heat pumps in new builds to 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25235/24]

Defective Building Materials

Rose Conway-Walsh

410. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if people who are eligible for the defective concrete block scheme can simultaneously avail of the housing adaption grants for older and disabled people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25238/24]

Wastewater Treatment

Cathal Crowe

411. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will clarify when work on the new sewage scheme for Broadford will commence; and if the scheme will be extended as far as a specific home (details supplied). [25271/24]

Departmental Reports

Catherine Murphy

412. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will expedite the publication of the Mulcahy Report, in view of the fact that to not do so gives rise to a perception that the integrity of the planning process is compromised further; if he has received any external advice on the contents of the report; and the number of requests that his Department has received to date to publish the report. [25317/24]

National Parks and Wildlife Service

Michael Ring

413. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to a previous Parliamentary Question (details supplied), if he will confirm when payment will issue to a person in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25328/24]

Wind Energy Guidelines

Denis Naughten

414. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the revised wind energy guidelines signed off by his predecessor in 2017 will become operational; the reason for the inordinate delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25360/24]

Mortgage Interest Rates

Niamh Smyth

415. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review correspondence (details supplied); if he will outline the issue relating to interest rates as addressed in relation to the local authority loan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25366/24]

Planning Issues

Jennifer Whitmore

416. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if access to pre-planning meetings with local government is provided as standard; if not, which local authorities provide it as part of their planning process; if he will ensure that all residents will have equal access to this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25399/24]

Energy Conservation

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

417. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when air to water home heating/hot water systems will be installed in (details supplied) under his Department’s Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25421/24]

Planning Issues

Cathal Crowe

418. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if planning guidance relating to short-term rentals will be published and circulated in advance of the enactment of the planned legislation to crack down on short-term rentals. [25441/24]

Departmental Contracts

Catherine Murphy

419. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a schedule of all contracts they have and/or had with a company in the past 25 years to date (details supplied); the agreed contract cost; the ultimate contract cost including extras, design changes, conciliation, claims etc; project name/title; and the name of the body responsible for the delivery of projects where responsibility has been devolved. [25478/24]

Land Issues

Pearse Doherty

420. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on and those of his Department to claims made (details supplied) that credit servicers are falsely registering as owners of properties through the Land Registry, given they are not the loan originators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25488/24]

Building Regulations

Denis Naughten

421. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he is taking to amend building regulations to incentivise the construction of modular homes; the enhanced use of wood in construction including glulam and cross-laminated timber in medium to high-rise apartments and offices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25499/24]

Housing Schemes

Denis Naughten

422. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he is taking to enhance the rate of grant available for housing aid for older people and people with a disability; when these grant rates were last enhanced; when the terms of the scheme were last expanded and under what circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25501/24]

Housing Provision

Denis Naughten

423. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to the publication of the report by Government on "Housing Options for our Ageing Population", if he will outline the steps taken to date to address the issue; the measures being taken to provide clustered bungalow housing for older people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25502/24]

Tax Code

Denis Naughten

424. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current status of the residential zone tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25507/24]

International Protection

Patricia Ryan

515. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide clarity regarding the placement of people seeking temporary international protection at Bert House, Athy, as the residents have still not received work permits despite being told were told it would take three months to issue them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25323/24]

Victim Support Services

Paul Murphy

516. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if she is aware of the need for urgent legislation in relation to a victims right to be informed about the release of their attacker (details supplied); if she agrees that it is an issue that the privacy of the attacker is given more weight than the rights of the victim; if she will ensure that this loophole is addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24588/24]

Domestic Violence

Catherine Murphy

517. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the estimated cost of providing the additional 140 domestic abuse refuge spaces to double the number of refuge spaces in Ireland, as committed to by end-2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24625/24]