I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding flat regeneration. On Wednesday, 6 May 2026, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now.
Dublin City Flat Complex Retrofit and Regeneration: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Mary Lou McDonald on Wednesday, 6 May 2026:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— Dublin City Council (DCC) has 6,000 flats across 100 complexes built from the 1930s to the 1960s;
— due to poor maintenance by the Council, and underfunding by central government, living conditions in these flat complexes are amongst the worst in the city;
— these sub-standard conditions have a significant impact on community cohesion and the well-being of residents, in particular, young people;
— damp, mould, rodent infestation, chronic overcrowding and inadequate sports and community facilities, continue to blight the hard-working communities who live in these flat complexes;
— in 2017, following a collective complaint to the European Committee of Social Rights at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, by the residents of many of these flat complexes, the Irish Government was found to be in breach of Article 16 of the European Social Charter (Revised), which protects the right of the family to social, legal and economic protection, including the provision of adequate family housing;
— despite valiant campaigning by residents, supported by the Community Action Network and the Communities of Practice, the conditions in these flat complexes have continued to deteriorate;
— in 2023, DCC undertook a comprehensive engagement with communities in flat complexes, and produced a plan for the deep retrofit and regeneration of these flat complexes, to bring their homes in line with contemporary standards;
— this plan is based on successful estate retrofit and regeneration, such as Killarney Court and the pilot project in Ballybough Court;
— the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is refusing to fund the initial proposals for the retrofit and regeneration of these complexes in Pearse House and Oliver Bond House, on the spurious grounds that it would lead to a reduction in the number of homes in each complex;
— this decision is now fatally undermining years of community consultation, and further delaying the bringing of these flat complexes up to legally required standards for rental accommodation; and
— Dublin City Councillors from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Labour Party, the Green Party and some Independents voted for the recent Council Budget, which included significant rent increases for Council tenants, including those living in sub-standard accommodation in the inner-city flat complexes; and
calls on the Government to:
— reverse its current position of refusing to fund DCCs proposed retrofit and regeneration on the inner-city flat complexes;
— put the views and needs of our strong and vibrant long-standing inner-city communities at the centre of all policy and funding decisions related to the retrofit and regeneration of the flat complexes; and
— provide DCC with a dedicated team of staff, headed by a senior assistant director of service, with a comprehensive budget, to drive an accelerated programme of flat complex retrofit and regeneration.
Debate resumed on amendment No 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that:
— the Programme for Government commits to continue and accelerate Social Housing regeneration schemes in Dublin, and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage continues and commits to support regeneration projects submitted by Dublin City Council (DCC) that do not result in any significant loss of homes;
— the Government's objective is to maximise the quality and availability of homes within the established inner-city flat complexes, and to ensure that they are to an acceptable standard;
— DCC, through funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, are focused on eradicating any sub-standard conditions that have arisen in aging flat complexes, and this directly addresses the issues raised in the collective complaint to the European Committee of Social Rights at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg;
— the Government is fully committed to working with DCC to ensure that all plans to regenerate all such flats, through either deep-retrofit or demolition and re-build, comes to fruition;
— the Government has shown its commitment through National Development Plan funding of €20 billion for housing, which includes support for Dublin City regeneration;
— a number of funding channels are available to local authorities to support regeneration projects, including the Social Housing Investment Programme, the Affordable Housing Fund, the Capital Advance Leasing Facility, the Cost Rental Equity Loan, and through the Regeneration and Refurbishment Programme;
— an unprecedented level of funding is available to local authorities through these schemes, totalling over €3.4 billion in 2026;
— local authorities are supported by almost €260 million per annum for the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, through the Planned Maintenance/Voids Programme (€40 million), Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (€140 million), Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People (€28.5 million), and the Regeneration and Refurbishment Programme (€50 million);
— the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has recently approved funding of €13.8 million for the deep retrofitting of 78 flats across four blocks at Pearse House;
— the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are working with DCC on a proposal for retrofitting the flats at Oliver Bond House, that will not result in a significant loss of housing, but will result in all homes being upgraded to modern standards;
— the Minister and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will continue to support such retrofitting of these aging flats to bring them in-line with modern standards, and previous delivery of projects, such as the successful estate retrofit and regeneration or demolition and re-build of Killarney Court, Dolphin House Phase 1 and O'Devaney Gardens, shows that a pathway exists for successful delivery of inner-city regeneration to the satisfaction of all stakeholders, and the Government, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, are fully committed to continue this work;
— the Government continues to recognise and support the needs of our strong and vibrant longstanding inner city communities, and recognises the value of their input and valuable lived experience to the planned regeneration of inner-city flat complexes, and this work is continuing throughout DCC, and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is happy to assess each proposal that is submitted by DCC; and
— the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage works closely with the local government sector to ensure that delivery teams are fully resourced, and continues to do so, and are awaiting a report from a County and City Management Association working group on local authority social and affordable housing resources, and the Chief Executive of DCC has ultimate operational responsibility for the organisational structure of DCC, including additional staff requirements.".
- (Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy John Cummins)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 81; Níl, 67; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Aird, William.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- McGuinness, John.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Collins, Michael.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 80; Níl, 67; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Aird, William.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- McGuinness, John.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Collins, Michael.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.