Written Answers Nos. 316-334
316. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when hedges can be cut if there is an actual or perceived threat to road or pedestrian safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52912/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Wildlife Act 1976, there is a general prohibition against destruction of vegetation between March 1st and August 31st.
However, there is provision in the legislation for certain exemptions in respect of cutting vegetation for health and safety reasons, and for cutting roadside hedges for road safety reasons.
Section 40(2)(c) of the Wildlife Act provides that it shall not be an offence to carry out cutting, grubbing or destroying of vegetation in the course of any works being duly carried out for reasons of public health or safety by a Minister of the Government or a body established or regulated by or under a statute.
In addition, section 40(2)(g) provides that it shall not be an offence to carry out felling, cutting, lopping, trimming or removal of a tree, shrub, hedge or other vegetation pursuant to section 70 of the Roads Act 1993.
Please note also that the provisions of section 40 do not extend to dead vegetation (eg: uprooted trees).
317. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if her Department will ensure that local authority building control departments enforce compliance with the 2014 Building Control Code of Practice; and the measures which are in place to prevent non-compliance in domestic construction. [52624/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe design and construction of buildings is regulated under the Building Control Acts in order to ensure the safety, health and welfare of people within the built environment. The Acts provide for the making of Building Regulations, Building Control Regulations and also set out the legislative basis for the system of enforcement.
The Building Control Regulations provide for matters of procedure, administration and control for the purposes of securing the implementation of, and compliance with, the performance requirements of the Building Regulations.
My Department has published a Code of Practice for Inspecting and Certifying Buildings and Works (September 2016). This replaces the Code of Practice dated February 2014. The purpose of the Code of Practice is to provide guidance with respect to inspecting and certifying works or a building for compliance with the requirements of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations. Where works or a building to which the Building Control Regulations apply are inspected and certified in accordance with the guidance contained in this Code of Practice, this shall, prima facie, indicate compliance with the relevant requirements of the Building Control Regulations.
The primary responsibility for compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations rests with the designers, builders and owners of buildings. Enforcement of the Building Regulations and Building Control Regulations is delegated under the Building Control Act to the local building control authorities (i.e. the 31 local authorities) who are independent in the exercise of their statutory powers.
318. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline and action plan for meeting the targets to work towards ending homelessness, as agreed in the Lisbon Declaration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52647/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra319. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if work has commenced on developing a national homeless prevention framework; if this framework will be allocated resources in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52648/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 318 and 319 together.
My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities.
Supporting individuals and families at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness is a priority for Government. Critical to addressing homelessness is increasing the supply of housing. The overall capital funding available for housing in 2025 is over €6.5 billion, to support the delivery of social, affordable and cost rental homes. Housing supply has increased significantly since the publication of Housing for All in 2021. In particular, 32,787 social homes have been delivered through Build, Acquisition and Leasing schemes from 2022 to 2024. This increased supply of social housing is supporting the increased allocation of homes to households on the social housing waiting list, including households in emergency accommodation. Ireland signed the Lisbon Declaration in June 2021, which committed all signatories to work towards ending homelessness by 2030. The Government reaffirmed Ireland’s commitment to the Lisbon Declaration in the Programme for Government.
The Government's new Housing Plan will be published shortly. The plan will contain a suite of robust and targeted actions that will increase the provision of housing through accelerating supply and increasing the affordability of homes for our citizens. The Plan will also include a range of measures to address homelessness. The Plan will reaffirm the Programme for Government commitment to developing a holistic, cross departmental approach to homelessness prevention. It is intended to commence work on developing a national Homelessness Prevention Framework this year to ensure all possible measures are being taken across Government to prevent homelessness.
Funding of €303 million is available for the delivery of homeless services in 2025. This funding supports the provision of emergency accommodation and wrap around supports. In addition, capital funding of €25m will support the delivery of high quality transitional and emergency accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness. A key focus of local authorities and their service delivery partners is to support households in emergency accommodation to exit emergency accommodation to a tenancy.
320. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list of the schemes that are currently, or have previously, come to market under the croí cónaithe cities scheme; the subsidy being paid for each of the homes in these schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52649/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme supports the building of apartments in urban cores for sale to owner-occupiers. The 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).
Since the Scheme launched, four calls for Expression of Interest have been completed. To date, 13 developments, delivering over 1,600 apartments have been approved. This represents a funding commitment of roughly €200m. The Housing Agency continues to assess remaining applications under the previous calls. Details of the approved schemes are available on the Housing Agency website: www.housingagency.ie/CroiConaitheCities
In accordance with the terms and conditions of the Scheme, drawdown of approved funding occurs on completion of the projects and following the sale of apartments to owner occupiers It should be noted that apartment developments typically take between 18 months and 2 years to complete. The first sales of units under the scheme commenced this year at the following developments:
• Woodward Court, Glencairn Gate, Murphystown Way, Dublin 18.
• Blackrock Villas, Blackrock in Cork City.
• Meadow View, Clay Farm Place, Dublin 18.
• Carr’s Hill, Douglas in Cork.
The value of Croí Conaithe (Cities) subvention provided to successful applications is dependent on the final open market selling price of each home. This open market price, along with the open book delivery cost determines the final subsidy amount. The maximum subsidy available for each apartment is €120,000 in Dublin, and €144,000 in the other regional cities, where the viability gap is greater. It is only possible to determine the final Croí Cónaithe (Cities) subsidy payable when apartment sales have closed.
321. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the plans to adjust the social housing income limits upwards to reflect house inflation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52691/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraHousing for All included a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, completed in November 2021, it was recommended moving five local authorities from Band 3 to Band 2, ensuring the income eligibility thresholds better reflect housing costs in those counties. Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local authorities with effect from 1 January 2023. The thresholds thus increased to €40,000, €35,000 and €30,000 for bands 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
The review further recommended the commissioning of research to develop options for a revised or new social housing income eligibility model. My Department received this detailed research, commissioned by the Housing Agency. The scope of the research included examining the existing income limits in the context of current market and population conditions and the suitability or otherwise of the current framework having regard to the significantly changed landscape since the standardised income limits were introduced.
My Department's examination of the report is ongoing. This detailed examination will include consultation with stakeholders and will look at, inter alia, how the social housing income limits system interacts with other housing supports and ensure that they continue to target households correctly.
322. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a landlord in receipt of HAP from a local authority in respect of a tenant, must inform that local authority when there is a change to the rent or to any other associated costs. [52790/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support available for people who have a long-term housing need. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP.
Under HAP, a tenant sources their own accommodation in the private rented market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned.
The tenancy agreement is between the tenant and the landlord and is governed by the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 – 2025 (RTA). HAP supported tenancies are afforded the same protections as all private rented tenancies. A landlord must comply with the relevant legislation when setting and reviewing rents. Further information is available on the RTB website at www.rtb.ie.
Where a tenant has a change of circumstances, including a rent increase, they may notify the relevant local authority. The local authority can reassess those tenants and adjust their differential rent accordingly. In addition, each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 35% above the prescribed maximum rent limit or up to 50% in the case of homeless households in the Dublin region. It is a matter for the local authority to determine if the application of the discretion is warranted on a case by case basis and also the level of additional discretion applied in each case.
The day-to-day operation of the HAP scheme is a matter for the relevant local authority.
323. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if an elected Member of the Oireachtas (Teachta Dála or Seanadóir) can make representations on behalf of a member of the public to a local authority, regardless of whether they were elected in that council area or not; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52874/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraSection 237A of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended) provides that the Minister shall make regulations in relation to the ‘dealings’ of local authorities with members of the Houses of the Oireachtas which must include provisions in relation to correspondence with members of the Oireachtas by local authorities. These Regulations are contained in S.I. 274 of 2003 (www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2003/si/274/made/en/print) and were subsequently amended by S.I. 257 of 2024 to insert references to the Mayor of Limerick.
Article 9 (1) provides “It shall be an objective of a local authority to seek to deal with requests for access to information by a parliamentary representative as expeditiously as may be and in accordance with a proper level of customer service”. Parliamentary Representative is defined as, "a member of Dáil Éireann or of Seanad Éireann", with no specific reference to location.
Article 13 (1) provides that “nothing in these regulations shall be read as implying that a lesser level of customer service is to apply as regards the dealings of a local authority with its members or any other person”.
324. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department plans to extend financial supports for widowers who face financial challenges as sole caregivers supporting their children through school and college; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52694/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the remit of my Department there are a suite of income supports which include insurance-based schemes, based on Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions, and means-tested social assistance schemes.
Bereaved Partners (Contributory) Pension (BCP) is a weekly payment to the widow, widower, surviving civil partner or qualified cohabitant of a deceased person. The pension remains payable unless the person cohabits with another person or marries, and the payment is not means tested. As a result, a person can be in receipt of BCP and earn income from employment or self-employment.
Where the widow, widower, surviving civil partner or qualified cohabitant has a dependant child they can claim the weekly Child Support Payment (CSP) of €50 per child for each child under the age of 12 or a CSP of €62 per child for each child over the age of 12.
If the child is 18 or over, a person can continue getting a CSP for 3 months after the child leaves second level education or finishes the Leaving Certificate. If a child remains in full-time education, a person on BCP can continue to receive a child support payment for them.
Until the dependent child turns 22, or
• Until the end of the academic year in which the dependent child turns 22.
The Bereaved Parent Grant (BPG) is a once-off payment of €8,000 to widows, widowers, surviving civil partners or from 21st July 2025 qualified cohabitants with dependent children. This grant is available to widows, widowers, surviving civil partners or qualified cohabitants who have one or more dependent children living with them at the date of death.
Other payments made by my Department include the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, Child Benefit, Carer's Benefit and Allowance. Each of these payments have their own qualifying criteria, however the civil status of each applicant is not a factor.
Furthermore, under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.
The rates of payment are set as part of the Budgetary process and are informed by various data including the CSO SILC. In recent successive Budgets, the social welfare packages were the largest in the history of the State, and the last three Budgets contained significant cost of living packages. The Government is focused on continuing to deliver on measures to address poverty and social exclusion.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
325. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Social Protection in relation to the school meals scheme, if a special school that has not yet availed of the scheme can apply for funding for snacks and drinks only; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52815/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
As announced in Budget 2025 all Primary Schools are entitled to the Hot School Meals Programme from September 2025; however, a school may choose to opt for the cold lunch option if they prefer.
If there is a particular school of concern to the Deputy could I suggest that they contact my department at school.meals@welfare.ie to discuss the options available to them.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
326. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated total costs of expenditure on State pensions based on increased life expectancies in the decades ahead; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52639/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is acutely aware of the potential impacts of the projected demographic changes on social protection supports, particularly in relation to the funding of State pensions.
My Department assesses all factors relating to the State pension system and its sustainability through Actuarial Reviews of the Social Insurance Fund - from which the State pension is paid. An Actuarial Review must be conducted every five years. The last Actuarial Review was published in March 2023. The purpose of the review is to determine the extent to which the Fund may be expected, in the longer term, to meet the demands in respect of payment of all benefits, including State pension payments. The review takes account of the adequacy or otherwise of contributions to support such benefits and payments, as well as other matters relevant to the current and future financial condition of the Fund.
A consistent finding of the Actuarial Reviews is that the Fund will experience significant long term sustainability challenges. The Fund is projected to register annual surpluses up to the mid-2030s with an accumulated surplus of over €21 billion by 2035, at which time it would return to an initial annual small deficit, increasing markedly thereafter.
The Actuarial Review found that, in the absence of any action to tackle the shortfalls, the excess of expenditure over income of the Fund will increase significantly over the medium to long term with an accumulated deficit of €500 billion by 2076. This is mainly driven by the changing demographics, particularly the ageing of our population and the decreasing pensioner support ratio (the ratio between the number of older people and the number of working age people).
The previous Government established the Pensions Commission in November 2020 to examine the sustainability of the State Pension system and the Social Insurance Fund in light of the projected demographic changes. The Commission's Report, which was published in October 2021, took account of an assessment of various analyses of population, labour force and expenditure projections and set out recommendations to address the sustainability of the State pension system.
In order to address the future sustainability of the Social Insurance Fund, the then Government decided not to increase the State pension age but instead to implement a series of gradual and incremental increases in PRSI rates across all three contributors to the Social Insurance Fund - employees, employers and the self-employed. These increases total 0.7 percentage points between 2024 and 2028, with further increases to be considered, based on the most up-to-date data available from the next Actuarial Review of the Fund.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
327. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the length of time it takes to hear a social welfare appeals case; the measures being put in place to reduce such time periods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52640/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the average time to process an appeal at the end of Quarter 2 2025 was 21.9 weeks. The Chief Appeals Officer has put in place measures to help reduce the number of appeals on hand. 20 additional Appeals Officers were appointed in the period at the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025. They are currently making appeal decisions in addition to the existing Appeals Officers.
Significant efforts and resources have been devoted to reforming and streamlining the appeals process in recent years. A modernisation project which includes the introduction of an online application channel has resulted in technological advances across the Department and in the appeals process. Appellants now have the ability to easily transmit additional documentation and evidence to the relevant scheme area or the Appeals Office through the MyWelfare platform. This means that evidence relevant to an appeal can be considered earlier in the decision-making process and help reduce processing times.
Furthermore, new appeals regulations which came into effect 28 April 2025 formalise the requirement for the scheme area within the Department to carry out a review of the initial Deciding Officer’s decision. Where a decision can be revised in favour of the customer at the earliest stage possible there is no need for the decision to be considered by an Appeals Officer. In 2025, 32% of decisions have been revised in this way. It is expected that this measure will further reduce the number of appeals on hand and the length of time it takes for appeals to be processed and decided.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
328. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection if the living alone allowance will be increased in budget 2026 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52686/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraPrimary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. In addition to these primary payments, my Department also provides a range of other payments on a weekly, monthly, or less frequent basis. These payments are considered secondary in nature and cannot be made available to those who are not in receipt of a primary payment.
The Living Alone Increase (LAI) is one of those secondary payments. It is not a scheme or a stand-alone payment, but it is a supplement to a primary social protection payment of €22 per week made to people aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone.
For those aged 66 or over, payments eligible for the LAI include State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-Contributory), Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, Bereaved Partner's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme, Incapacity Supplement under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme and Deserted Wife's Benefit. LAI is also paid to people aged under 66 who live alone and are in receipt of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Blind Pension.
The rate of primary and secondary payments to pensioners, and their adequacy, are considered in the context of the annual budgetary process. In doing so, the Government considers evidence from a wide range of sources, including agencies such as the CSO, and also research submitted by advocacy groups such as the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, who measure the “Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL)”.
Any change to the rate payable for this payment will have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
329. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection to request an audit of a company’s (details supplied) 2023 declarations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52721/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand the Deputy is referring to the PRSI class paid in respect of a particular individual. PRSI classification is a matter for Scope Section of my Department.
Scope section has requested the locally based inspectorate to make the necessary enquiries in this case. Depending on the complexity of the case this can take a number of weeks. Once this information is received, the person’s social insurance record will be verified. The person will be notified of the outcome of these enquiries as soon as possible. In the meantime the person concerned can contact the community welfare service if they need financial support.
330. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection the annual figures since 2015 for appeals lodged with the social welfare appeals office querying a refusal based on the habitual residence condition, by Irish citizens and non-Irish nationals, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52778/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that the Social Welfare Appeals Office does not collate data on appeals specifically relating to the Habitual Residence Condition, therefore the statistical information is not available.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
331. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Social Protection if all special schools are part of the schools meals programme; if not, the names of special schools that are not part of the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52799/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
All special schools are classified as non DEIS and primary schools. As announced in Budget 2025 all Primary Schools are entitled to the Hot School Meals Programme from September 2025. Some special schools have their own meals provision in place outside of the School Meals programme.
While all primary schools are eligible, the School Meals Programme is not mandatory for schools. The decision to apply lies with the school principal and board of management. I trust this clarifies the matter.
332. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the fuel allowance payment for a person (details supplied) was stopped, and the options available to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52844/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFuel Allowance is payable to people who satisfy the scheme conditions and who either live alone or only with certain qualified people. Entitlement to fuel allowance is based on a review of all people residing in the household regardless of their relationship to the customer.
A letter was issued to the person concerned on 04 September 2025, requesting a household composition form to be completed. Based on the information they provided, the person concerned does not qualify for Fuel Allowance as their son, who is not a qualifying person, resides with them.
A letter notifying the person concerned of this decision issued on 17 September 2025.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
333. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) does not have an entitlement to the fuel allowance or living alone allowance; the options now available to the person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52847/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraOne of the conditions for receipt of the Living Alone Increase requires the applicant to be in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department.
As the person concerned is not currently in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department, they are not entitled to the Living Alone Increase.
In order to establish entitlement to the Fuel Allowance, it is necessary for the person concerned to submit an application form. As my Department has no record of an application for the fuel allowance from the person concerned, I have arranged for an application to issue to them. On receipt of the completed application form, their entitlement will be examined.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
334. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has undertaken any work toward assisting with the roll-out of a digital ID system; if his Department is involved with implementing the EU’s plan to offer digital identity to all of its citizens and residents by 2026 under the eIDAS 2.0 regulation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52852/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn April 2024, the European Parliament and Council introduced Regulation 2024/1183, which revised the previous European Digital Identify Regulation (the eIDAS regulation), requiring Member States to provide at least one European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) for their citizens to use to access public and private services.
The digital wallet is to be made available for citizens and residents to access public services by December 2026. An inter-departmental project team comprising representatives from Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (DCCS), the Office of the Government Chief Information Office (OGCIO), the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and the Department of Social Protection has been established to identify the technological, policy and legislative requirements necessary in order for implementation of the Regulation to be achieved within that timeframe. My Department is involved, as holder of the public service identity dataset in Ireland. Overall responsibility for transposition of the EU Regulation lies with the DCCS.
