Written Answers Nos. 626-637
626. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when a person (details supplied) will have funds repaid to him for works carried out to his apartment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15041/26]
View answer683. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the fire safety remediation scheme will be put on a statutory footing; when residents who are living in a location (details supplied) can expect to ultimately get refunds for their contributions to ensuring works go ahead in advance of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14836/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 626 and 683 together.
Government approval was received on 18 September 2024 for the priority drafting of the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill. The purpose of this legislation is to place the defects remediation Scheme on a statutory footing, further to commitments contained in the Programme for Government and Housing for All.
The Scheme will provide supports for the remediation of relevant fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. It is envisaged that 100% of eligible remediation costs will be funded.
The General Scheme of the Bill completed pre-legislative scrutiny in December 2025 and I expect the legislation to be placed before the Oireachtas this year.
Remediation costs already incurred or levied prior to the introduction of the Scheme will be covered once such costs fall within the scope and defined parameters of the Scheme.
The Scheme will be managed by the Housing Agency and will require an application to be made by apartment Owner Management Companies on behalf of residents. It would not be appropriate for myself, as Minister, to comment on individual cases.
627. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of buildings leased by his Department, or bodies or agencies under its aegis, during 2025; the total cumulative sum paid under these leases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14023/26]
View answerI refer to my reply to Dáil Question no. 1,388 of 13 January 2026 which sets out the position in this matter.
628. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the consultation for Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí; when the outcomes will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14046/26]
View answerIreland’s eighth and largest National Park, Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, with more than 70,000 acres of lands and seas in public ownership, was announced in April 2024.
It brought together new acquisitions by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), such as the Conor Pass, the Owenmore River catchment, lands at Mount Brandon and the sand dune system at Inch Peninsula, along with sites already under State ownership, such as the limestone reefs of Kerry Head Shoals and the waters around the Blasket Islands.
In 2025, the NPWS completed a public consultation on Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara to inform and shape the development of the Páirc. It included a nationwide public consultation and online survey, meetings between NPWS staff and local communities, and workshops with community groups. This consultation built on previous NPWS engagement with local communities. 159 responses were submitted to the online survey and 21 submissions were received by email from a variety of stakeholders including members of the public, local residents, landowners, farmer, business owners and group representatives. Meeting attendees and workshop participants included landowners, representatives from local fishing communities, representatives from the tourism sector, environmental groups and local communities from Blascaod Mór, Clochán-Breannain, Inch, Corca Dhuibne and Baile an Fheirtéaraigh.
The draft consultation report is at an advanced stage, and it will be discussed with stakeholders in the near future. Once the report is finalised it will be published online.
Work by the NPWS in Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí is continuing and includes improvements to the Valentia tetrapod trackway and planned sand dune restoration at Inch.
629. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the consultation for ‘Your Parks, Your Say’; when the outcomes will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14047/26]
View answerThe 'Your Parks, Your Say’ consultation was the first phase of engagement in a national conversation on the future of our National Parks. Stakeholders and members of the public were encouraged to have their say across a range of topics including biodiversity conservation, education and visitor management. The online questionnaire ran from 10 October 2024 until 28 February 2025 and over 400 responses were received.
It is my intention to publish the responses in the coming months and use the results to lay the groundwork for future engagements with the public on our National Parks, including management plans and decision making within the National Parks system.
630. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline which national parks have current management plans in place; the timelines for when all national parks will have their own management plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14048/26]
View answerThe National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department is currently seeking to put in place a new set of publicly available management plans for its entire system of National Parks, as well as Coole Park Nature Reserve. This requires an approach tailored to the specific and unique features of each locality/area and will involve opportunities for engagement with members of the public. The aim is to ensure the management plans encapsulate both long-term strategic planning, e.g. woodland strategies for an area, while providing a dashboard of useful baseline information to the public, e.g. annual tracked visitor numbers to a site. This will be a modern platform to help to provide opportunities for greater public involvement and insights on the management of each Park, as well as providing educational value to students on environmental issues.
Arrangements are currently being made to progress management plans for several National Parks/Reserves during 2026.
631. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the report by the Marine Institute regarding the impact of tangle nets on endangered marine species; if he has been in contact with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine regarding the same; if he will support a ban on tangle nets in our inshore; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14049/26]
View answerI am aware of, and read with concern, the recently released report by the Marine Institute regarding the impact of tangle nets on endangered marine species, including Grey Seal, and some species of critically endangered sharks, amongst others. The level of observed bycatch of protected species is concerning, and I have asked my Department to consider the matter and the range of steps that may be taken to address this issue.
632. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the SACs designated for grey seal on the coast of Ireland; the measures currently in place to protect seals; and to specify the conservation objectives of these areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14050/26]
View answerThere are ten Special Areas of Conservation designated for Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus in Ireland, as follows: Roaringwater Bay and Islands SAC 000101; Horn Head and Rinclevan SAC 000147; Slieve Tooey/Toormore Island/Loughros Beg Bay SAC 000190; Lambay Island SAC 000204; Inishbofin and Inishshark SAC 000278; Slyne Head Islands SAC 000328; Duvillaun Islands SAC 000495; Inishkea Islands SAC 000507; Saltee Islands SAC 000707 and Blasket Islands SAC 002172. A list of Conservation Objectives per site is available at: www.npws.ie/protected-sites/conservation-management-planning/conservation-objectives
The current breeding population of Grey Seal in Ireland is estimated at 8,500 – 11,000. Grey Seals are protected under the EU Habitats Directive. Under Article 17 of this Directive, Ireland is obliged to monitor populations and report on their status every six years. The 2025 Article 17 assessments report that the Conservation Status of Grey Seal in Ireland is considered Favourable, which is the same as that reported in 2019. Both short and long term trends indicate that the population is increasing. Notwithstanding this favourable status, there are pressures reported on the species, including risk from underwater noise from sources such as geotechnical surveying, as well as disturbance from marine fish and shellfish harvesting, and tourism/recreation.
There are a number of conservation measures in place for the species to protect the favourable conservation status of Grey Seal, including, but not limited to, regulation of disturbing activities through a number of regulatory instruments, regulatory guidance to manage the risk of underwater noise to the species, and in some areas, wardening of islands that are under tourism pressure and on which the species is known to breed. The National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department fund a range of ongoing research projects to better understand the species’ population dynamics and movement patterns, including a project to examine the impact of bycatch on the decline of marine biodiversity, such as Grey Seal, that will generate new knowledge and tools to effectively reduce the bycatch of protected species in fisheries.
633. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review correspondence (details supplied); if he will address the concerns raised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14076/26]
View answerCurrently there are in excess of 110 Conservation Rangers stationed right across the country, and it is my intention to further increase this number up to 121 Conservation Rangers. My Department is engaging with publicjobs to run new Conservation Ranger competition.
My Department has recently advertised a Regional Manager internal competition and a District Conservation Officer internal competition will be advertised shortly.
Staffing levels across my Department, including Conservation Rangers, District Conservation Officer and Regional Managers, are kept under regular review in line with emerging business needs and Government policy on public sector pay and staffing as advised by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
634. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an exhaustive list of flood related compensation, paid from his Department's vote allocations over the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14104/26]
View answerMy Department has made no flood-related compensation payments in the past ten years. Additionally, there is no direct line of funding in my Department's vote for compensation payments arising from severe weather events.
635. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is any planning regulation that stipulates that a medical service provider, such as a pharmacy or GP surgery, must have car parking access or set down within a reasonable distance from the building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14165/26]
View answerRequirements relating to the quantum and form of parking for premises used for retail, health or medical services are generally set at a local level by planning authorities via their development plans.
When setting parking requirements for retail development that provide a significant social and economic function (including pharmacies) the Retail Planning Guidelines (2012), issued as Ministerial Guidelines under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), recommend that as part of the development management process, consideration should be given to the accessibility needs of the elderly and persons with mobility impairments. Section 28 of the Act of 2000 requires that planning authorities have regard to Ministerial Guidelines when carrying out their functions under the Act.
When making a decision in respect of a planning application for a proposed development, the planning authority may, if granting permission and where necessary, reasonable and enforceable, attach a condition to the permission to regulate and control the extent of parking places in connection with the proposed development.
With regard to areas of public on-street parking, under the provisions of Section 36 of the Roads and Traffic Act, which falls under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Transport, roads authorities may make bye-laws for the control and regulation of the parking of vehicles.
636. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Monuments Service will provide a wheelchair accessible entrance at a cemetery (details supplied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14197/26]
View answerThe graveyard in question is managed by the Local Authority and it is to that body that requests for provision of such access to this site should be made. An application for Ministerial Consent to do works at the monument, submitted by the Committee, was responded to by National Monuments Service and there is no record of any further contact from the Committee.
The Community Monuments Fund which is administered by my Department through the local authorities, may be a suitable funding vehicle for provision of such access, subject to all other necessary permissions being in place. The fund for 2027 will be announced later this year and I would encourage the committee to make contact with their Local Authority Heritage Office to explore further.
637. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a private home purchaser can combine the first home scheme with the croí cónaithe cities scheme. [14199/26]
View answerThe First Home Scheme can be combined with the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme, subject to the terms and conditions of each of the respective schemes. The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme aims to support the building of apartments where there is a demonstrated viability gap. The apartments are sold at market value and purchasers can bridge their funding gap with funding from the FHS if they meet the FHS eligibility criteria.
The First Home Scheme (FHS), launched July 2022, provides finance to help first time buyers, self-builders or those making a fresh start to bridge the gap between a deposit and mortgage, and the price of a new home, within regional price ceilings. The Scheme is overseen and managed by the First Home Scheme Ireland Designated Activity Company (DAC), on behalf of the shareholders - the State and participating mortgage lenders.
The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme aims to activate the supply of units which otherwise would not be delivered due to viability challenges by providing funding support to bridge the current "Viability Gap" between the delivery cost of building apartments and the market sale price (where the cost of building is greater). Funding will only be made available for suitable apartment developments where there is a demonstrated viability gap, meaning that these apartments would not otherwise be built.
Units brought to market with support from the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme are open to purchase by all eligible purchasers. An eligible purchaser means a person or persons who solely or jointly purchases one of the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) apartments with the expressed intention of occupying the apartment as their normal place of residence. For example, this could include first-time buyers or people who are selling their home and wish to buy an apartment. Each person can only buy one apartment supported by the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme.
