Parliamentary questions

Housing Schemes

Willie O'Dea

169. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will give consideration to increasing the property price ceiling of €400,000 for purchasing houses in Limerick under the first home scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19566/24]

Housing Provision

Cormac Devlin

170. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the locations of the 30 sites identified in Housing for All for accelerated builds; if he will outline the plans for the provision of modular homes in the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council area; the sites under consideration there for the provision of modular homes; the status of such considerations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19569/24]

Defective Building Materials

Bríd Smith

171. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm where the legislation for the establishment of defects scheme for apartments and duplexes is currently at and to confirm when the draft legislation will be published; when he believes that OMCs will be able to apply for and receive funding for permanent remediation of defects; if he will commit to passing the legislation before the budget and if so, if he will clarify what financial allocation will be required for 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19589/24]

Economic and Social Research Institute

Cian O'Callaghan

172. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the terms of reference of the ESRI study that he committed to share with Members of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage during the Committee stage of the Planning and Development Bill 2023, will be shared; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19603/24]

Rights of Way

Steven Matthews

173. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to concerns of local authorities regarding the establishment of rights of way in county development plans (details supplied); if his Department has considered establishing a judicial-led arbitration process to resolve complex disputes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19702/24]

Housing Schemes

Patricia Ryan

174. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the length of time it is taking to complete new social housing applications in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19853/24]

Housing Schemes

Patricia Ryan

175. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the extraordinarily long time that it is taking to complete and award HAP applications, following approval for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19854/24]

Small and Medium Enterprises

Catherine Murphy

176. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has engaged with Tailte Éireann in respect of valuation reforms for start-ups and established small to medium independent traders in the context of rate setting in the early years of their enterprises when they utilise physical shop spaces in the context of reducing commercial space dereliction in towns and villages across the State. [19888/24]

Public Transport

Carol Nolan

177. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider addressing the inequality that still exists regarding the availability of transport in rural areas by making changes to the free travel scheme whereby pensioners could be given the option of obtaining a lump sum payment to cover the cost of taxis or hackney services in rural communities where there is either no public transport or no frequent public transport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19604/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Michael Healy-Rae

178. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if the case of a person (details supplied) will be urgently reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19538/24]

Citizens Information Services

Pádraig O'Sullivan

179. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is aware that staff in the citizens information service have not received a wage increase since 2008; if there are plans to implement a wage increase; if there is a timeline for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19543/24]

Departmental Staff

Cormac Devlin

180. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection to detail the arrangements in place for where an employee of the Department and each organisation under its aegis, becomes elected or co-opted to a local authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19571/24]

Social Welfare Appeals

Colm Burke

181. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a person's (details supplied) appeal; when a decision is likely to be received, as this has been pending for some time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19578/24]

State Pensions

Darren O'Rourke

182. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is aware of the anomaly that some people with less contributions are receiving greater State pensions due to the method of calculation (details supplied); if she has assessed this anomaly; if she intends to address it, perhaps by moving away from the ‘first date of contribution’ criteria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19616/24]

Social Insurance

Leo Varadkar

183. Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on her plans to introduce pay-related social insurance benefits for jobseekers; the estimated cost of same; and the estimated the cost to extending this approach in case to maternity benefit, paternity benefit, parents benefit and illness benefit. [19664/24]

Gender Recognition

Leo Varadkar

184. Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Social Protection when she received the review of the Gender Recognition Act 2015; whether it has been presented to Cabinet or to a Cabinet Sub-Committee; when she will make a recommendation to Government on the matter; and the process that is being followed to aid her to do so. [19665/24]

Gender Recognition

Leo Varadkar

185. Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Social Protection if she plans to make provision for people who are medically determined to be intersex due to their chromosomes or characteristics to be recognised in law. [19666/24]

Citizens Information Services

Pádraig O'Sullivan

186. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department will engage with members of the Citizen Information Board regarding pay equality concerns; if she will outline the engagement her Department has had to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19683/24]

Postal Services

Michael Healy-Rae

187. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the section of the regulations outlining the penalties that can be given to post masters (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19742/24]

Oireachtas Committees

Brendan Griffin

188. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the evidence submitted to an Oireachtas Committee by a person (details supplied) concerning activities in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19856/24]