Written Answers Nos. 641-660
641. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how and when homeowners in receipt of a grant award under the defective concrete block grant scheme can avail of the increased grant award levels as set out in the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Act 2025. [5945/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra650. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Act 2025 will be commenced so that the affected homeowners can avail of the changes to the original legislation. [6048/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 641 and 650 together.
The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the current grant scheme and the related Regulations were adopted on 29 June 2023.
The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 was initiated in Dáil Eireann on 2 December 2025, passed both Houses of the Oireachtas and was subsequently signed into law by the President, thereby becoming an Act, on the 23 December 2025.
The 2025 amendments make provision for the 2024 increases in the Scheme cap and rates to apply to a wider group of relevant owners, along with a number of technical amendments to ensure equity and efficient administration of the Scheme. The related Regulations will be adopted as soon as possible and provide for all matters within the Act which require to be prescribed and will provide the finer detail around how the amendments will operate in the scheme. A date for commencement of the new provisions of the amended Act will also be set as soon as possible.
642. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the length of time it took to complete the four-stage and single-stage approval process for all Traveller-specific accommodation projects completed in 2023 and 2024, by halting site bays and group housing schemes, and by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5951/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra643. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a report of expenditure on Traveller accommodation, per county and accommodation type for 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5952/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra644. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update regarding Traveller accommodation from the quarterly pipeline report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5953/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Question Nos 642, 643 and 644 together.
The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides that the role of my Department is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist local authorities in providing accommodation for Travellers, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
The Act provides that housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas.
The Traveller-specific accommodation programme is primarily focused on the provision of new and refurbished halting sites, new and refurbished group housing, acquisitions and mobiles/caravans including the Caravan Loan Scheme.
Within this programme, the provision of new and refurbished halting sites and new and refurbished group housing schemes are advanced through the single stage and four stage capital approval processes. Details of such projects completed in 2023 and 2024, by halting site and group housing scheme and by local authority area, including the date of application and the date of Departmental approval, are set out in the attached table.
The capital drawdown on Traveller-specific accommodation in 2024, by local authority and accommodation type, which are in addition to the full range of social housing supports that are also available to Travellers such as wider social housing and HAP etc., is set out in the attached tables.
The Traveller Accommodation Programmes 2025-2029, adopted by each local authority, set out the pipeline targets for delivering on Traveller accommodation and are published on their respective websites.
645. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a house constructed in 2009 and not completed or lived in would be considered eligible for the vacant property grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6026/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra652. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average time between an application received and a grant issued for the vacant property refurbishment grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6140/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra653. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications for the vacant property refurbishment grants received, broken down by local authority, by month, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6141/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 645, 652 and 653 together.
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, funded under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. A top-up grant of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.
The grant is available in respect of vacant and derelict properties built up to and including 2007, in towns, villages, cities and rural areas. In order to qualify for the grant, the property must be vacant for two years or more at the time of application.
The objective of the grant is to support the refurbishment of vacant and derelict properties, bringing them back into use as homes. Works must relate to the refurbishment of an existing dwelling in keeping with the objectives of the scheme.
My Department issues guidance on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. The grant is administered and managed by local authorities, who process and decide on applications and issue grant payments on completion of approved refurbishment works.
Vacant Homes Officers (VHOs) are in place in all local authorities and play a vital role in supporting Government measures to target vacancy at a local level. VHOs are available to provide advice, support and guidance to the public in relation to the schemes in place to tackle vacancy. A full list of VHOs and their contact details can be found here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/f59b3-vacant-homes-officer-contacts/. Queries regarding eligibility for the grant are a matter for the Vacant Homes Officer in the relevant local authority area.
The average time taken across local authorities from the date of receipt of an application for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant to the date a grant issues, for approved applications, is 18 months. This timeline includes the time taken by local authorities to process applications, make a decision on applications and issue an approval letter and for approved works on the property to be completed by the applicant. The average time for applications to be processed and a decision made by local authorities over the last 12 months is 10 weeks which includes the carrying out of a visit to the property.
My Department publishes data on applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis, which includes the number of applications, approvals and the total number and value of grants paid per local authority. This data also includes a breakdown of applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and the Derelict Property Top-up Grant for every quarter. A month by month breakdown of applications received per local authority is not readily available. The Q4 2025 grant statistics will be published shortly. This data can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/vacant-property-refurbishment-grant-statistics/#2025[]
647. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions he is taking to address cases of low quality rented property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6031/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra648. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding any initiative he is proposing that seeks to encourage the uptake in retrofitting projects by landlords to ensure that rented properties meet a high level BER rating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6032/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra649. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding any engagement he is having with the Residential Tenancies Board in relation to addressing situations whereby landlords are renting properties with very low BER ratings and as a result are cold and damp; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6033/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 647, 648 and 649 together.
The minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, natural light, fire safety, ventilation and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. Regulation 8 requires that every room used, or intended for use, by the tenant of the house as a habitable room has adequate ventilation and that adequate ventilation is provided for the removal of water vapour from every kitchen and bathroom.
The Regulations apply to all properties let or available for let, including social housing, with limited exemptions. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with the standards set down in the Regulations.
Responsibility for the enforcement of the Regulations in the private rental sector rests with the relevant local authority. In this regard private rental tenants can contact their Local Authority and request its private rental inspection team to carry out an inspection of their accommodation to assess whether it meets the minimum requirements.
The Government is committed to ensuring that a stock of high quality accommodation is available for those who live in the private rented sector. The Government’s Action Plan on housing supply and targeting homelessness -Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030 - sets a target for the inspection of 25% of all registered private residential tenancies. A total of €10.5 million in Exchequer funding is being made available by my Department to local authorities this year to help them meet their private rental inspection targets.
The number of rental inspections conducted by local authorities has increased significantly in recent years. Increasing from an average of 20,000 a year in the period 2005 to 2017 to over 49,000 in 2022, over 63,500 in 2023, and an all-time-high of over 80,000 in 2024.
Detailed data in respect of the level of inspections and enforcement actions carried out and legal actions initiated by each local authority is available on my Department's website at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/da3fe-private-housing-market-statistics/.
My Department has produced a video and leaflet with the aim of educating the general public on the importance of proper ventilation in the home. It is available here:
www.gov.ie/homeventilation
www.gov.ie/aeráil-tí
My Department is committed to improving energy efficiency in the private rental market, which will contribute to meeting our overall national climate targets in relation to emissions reduction, help alleviate fuel poverty, help to protect tenants' health and improve comfort levels in rental homes.
Work in this area is being informed by research my Department commissioned from the ESRI. An ESRI research paper published last year explores the investment requirements for energy efficiency upgrades in the private rental sector. It found that there are significant investment needs in the sector as most properties have a BER rating below a B, with the aggregate cost of upgrading residential rental stock estimated to be between €7-8bn in 2023 prices. The report also identifies a number of barriers to investment by household residential landlords. Any measures introduced must be feasible and proportionate, and not have unintended consequences which will impact on supply in the rental market.
Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030 commits to examining policy measures to incentivise increased energy efficiency in the private rental market. The ERSI’s valuable research will support the development of appropriate policy and actions.
As part of Ireland’s residential retrofit programme, the Government launched a new package of supports targeting homes that were built and occupied pre-2011. These supports have been made available to non-corporate landlords and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to improve the efficiency of their rental properties. They include The Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme and a tax incentive up to €10,000 per property to encourage small-scale landlords to undertake retrofitting works while the tenant remains in situ.
651. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of dedicated staff currently employed within the Housing Agency to carry out assessments of letters of recommendation submitted by local authorities in relation to defective concrete blocks; if this staffing level is considered sufficient to meet the demand for timely assessments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6060/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 which underpins the enhanced Defective Concrete Block Scheme was commenced in June 2023.
The Scheme is currently open to applications in five counties, namely Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Mayo and Sligo.
When a local authority that is not currently designated under the Scheme determines that homes within their area may have been damaged by defective concrete blocks, they can seek to have the Scheme extended to include any such county or part of that county.
Section 5 of the Act contains details on this process. The statutory designation process can commence upon a request by a local authority or by myself, as Minister, to the Housing Agency. The Agency thereafter carries out technical testing of dwellings.
After the completion of any testing, the Housing Agency makes a recommendation to the Minister as to whether an order to designate the whole or part of a local authority's area should or should not be made by the Government.
I understand that Louth County Council, in accordance with Section 5(7) of the Act, were in contact with the Housing Agency on 25 April, 2024 stating they would be writing to the Housing Agency regarding three properties potentially affected by defective concrete blocks. I further understand that there has been some engagement on this matter between Louth County Council and the Housing Agency in February 2025, with additional engagement between senior staff from the council, and the Agency taking place in December 2025. The Housing Agency has also confirmed to my Department that they have received correspondences from potentially affected residents in County Louth but as of yet, no formal request for inclusion in the Scheme has been received by the Agency from the Council.
The allocation of staff across the Housing Agency is a matter for that organisation in the first instance. More information on their staffing can be sought from the Housing Agency via publicreps@housingagency.ie.
654. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total cost to date of the redress scheme for defective houses in County Donegal and surrounding counties; the total estimated cost of these schemes; whether the schemes are likely to exceed their budget; and the estimated amount of any such overruns. [6148/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand the Deputy is referring to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. The current Scheme applies to the owners of dwellings located in Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Limerick and Sligo with further local authority areas to be designated under the scheme shortly.
It should be noted that the scheme, as approved by the Oireachtas in the 2022 Act, is not a compensation or redress scheme, rather, it is a remediation grant scheme of last resort, put in place by the Government to assist homeowners.
The total amount recouped to the five designated local authorities under the scheme from the period 2020 to date, amounts to approximately €262m and the table under provides a breakdown.
|
|
Grant Claims |
Admin Claims |
Total |
|
Mayo |
€69m |
€1.5m |
€70.5m |
|
Donegal |
€184.7m |
€3.4m |
€188.1m |
|
Clare |
€1.95m |
€1.03m |
€2.98m |
|
Limerick |
€0.015m |
€0.329mm |
€0.344 |
|
Sligo |
€0m |
€0.112m |
€0.112m |
|
|
€255.7m |
€6.3m |
€262m |
In 2021 the overall cost of the current scheme was estimated at €2.2 billion (excluding inflation). This amount may change in the future depending on the number of homes impacted compared to the original estimate.
655. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of people currently on local authority housing waiting lists; the breakdown of those on these lists who are Irish citizens, UK nationals, EEA nationals, or nationals of other countries. [6153/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetails on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).
The most recently published summary for all counties, conducted in November 2024, is available on my Department's website, along with all summaries since 2011 at www.gov.ie/en/collection/62486-summary-of-social-housing-assessments/.
Details of on the citizenship of the main applicant qualified for social housing support for each local authority are included in tables 2.9 and A1.9 in the report.
The SSHA 2025 process is currently underway and I expect to publish the summary report before the end of Q1 2026.
656. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to ensure adequate funding is provided to Dublin City Council in order to allow it to continue operate its financial contribution scheme which is vital in allowing older people to downsize to DCC older person’s accommodation, while also increasing council housing stock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6215/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraGovernment is committed to increasing housing available to older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence and to supporting rightsizing on a voluntary basis. The Government’s new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, includes measures which will increase delivery of housing for older people through increased delivery of social housing, increased delivery of more suitable homes in private housing and increased choice to support voluntary rightsizing.
Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030 will increase choice for older people to voluntarily rightsize through advancing consideration of the availability of bridging finance to support rightsizing, a review of the operation of existing local authority financial contribution schemes and supporting social housing tenants who wish to rightsize to more suitable accommodation.
I understand that existing financial contribution schemes in place in some local authorities are non-statutory and therefore a matter for the individual local authorities, in this case Dublin City Council. Consideration will be given to the review of the operation of existing local authority financial contribution schemes and my Department is advancing these measures now incorporated in the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030.
657. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of rezoning requests received by each local authority, in tabular form; the proposed date of adoption by each local authority under the guidelines of the first revision of the national planning framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6273/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Revised National Planning Framework (NPF) was finalised and approved by Government and the Oireachtas in April 2025. The Revised NPF identifies the need to plan for approximately 50,000 additional households per annum to 2040.
The Revised NPF provides the basis for the review and updating of Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSESs) and local authority development plans to reflect such critical matters such as updated housing figures or projected jobs growth, including through the zoning of land for residential, employment and a range of other purposes.
To ensure that local authority development plans reflect the requirements of the NPF in respect of housing as soon as possible, I issued the NPF Implementation: Housing Growth Requirements Guidelines under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 in July 2025. These Guidelines set out the housing demand scenario to 2040 for each local authority, by translating the NPF housing requirements into average annual figures and set out the requirement for planning authorities to commence the process of varying their development plan to meet the new housing growth requirements.
In addition to the baseline housing growth requirement, planning authorities have also been requested to address the scope for additional provision of up to 50% in excess of the baseline housing growth requirement, in light of the urgent need to increase housing delivery and to optimise the ability to deliver on the housing requirements of the Revised NPF. This approach recognises the fact that, for a variety of reasons, a relatively significant proportion of zoned lands are not activated over the period of a development plan.
Planning authorities are currently assessing their current development plan and undertaking a review of the adequacy of existing zoned lands to cater for the new Housing Growth Requirement figures and the potential for ‘additional provision’.
This review and analysis will inform the preparation of a Chief Executive’s report to be submitted to the elected members which will set out the position in respect of each local authority, and the Chief Executive’s recommendations to the members as to what variations to the Plan may be required in order to meet the requirements of the Guidelines. A copy of the Chief Executive’s report is required to be submitted to the Minister and to the Office of the Planning Regulator.
To date, twenty three local authorities have either commenced a variation to their development plan or submitted a Chief Executive’s report to elected members setting out proposals to zone additional lands. The remaining local authorities are expected to submit a Chief Executive’s report and commence the variation process in the coming weeks.
The OPR has a statutory role in the evaluation of development plan reviews and variations, set out under the Planning and Development Acts. As part of this role, the OPR engages with the planning authority at pre-draft, draft and material alteration stage and may provide observations and/or recommendations on elements of the proposed plan/variation that should be amended in order to ensure consistency with national and regional policy.
The OPR is currently actively engaged in this process in connection with the current variations underway as set out above. Where such recommendations are not adopted by the relevant planning authority, the OPR may make a recommendation to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage that a direction be issued to the planning authority to amend the plan to ensure such consistency.
The Deputy may be interested to note that the OPR maintains a database on its website outlining progress achieved by each planning authority in implementing the Housing Growth Requirements Guidelines. This is accessible at the following link: https://www.opr.ie/section-28-guidelines-npf-implementation-housing-growth-requirements/
The zoning of land for particular purposes, including residential development, is an exercise undertaken by planning authorities as part of their overall statutory plan-making function and is a reserved function of the elected members. Engagement between the planning authority and stakeholders is matter for the planning authority to manage as part of their development plan variation process and my Department does not hold the data requested. The Deputy may however wish to note that a number of planning authorities are undertaking pre-draft consultations in respect of the variation processes, and submissions received by the planning authority in respect of the draft variation will be published by the planning authorities.
659. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the expected completion date for the updated wind turbine regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6307/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines which will inform a new National Planning Statement on Wind Energy under the new Planning and Development Act 2024. The review is addressing a number of key aspects of the Guidelines including noise, setback distance, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections.
Chapters 1 through 4 of Part 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2024, came into effect on 2 October 2025, providing the statutory basis for the National Planning Framework and Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies, and introduces provisions for National Planning Statements. These National Planning Statements replace Ministerial guidelines, often referred to as s.28 of the Act of 2000. These are subject to environmental screening and assessment and where appropriate, stakeholder and public consultation and require approval by Government such is the central importance of planning matters to delivery of objectives across a wide range of areas.
My Department, in conjunction with the Department of the Climate, Environment, and Energy (DCEE) which has primary responsibility for environmental noise matters, has been working to advance guidance on the noise aspect of the National Planning Statement, formerly known as the revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines, which is highly technical in nature. As part of their work, which is now substantially complete, the noise consultants have assessed the impact of human health from turbine noise having regard to international best practice and standards, including the current World Health Organisation (WHO) standards on noise.
In addition to work on the noise aspects of the National Planning Statement, the evolving policy and technical context including the new Planning and Development Act 2024 and the revision of the National Planning Framework reinforces the need to ensure that the finalised Guidelines, once issued, are fit for purpose.
In line with EU Directive requirements, a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is being carried out on the draft National Planning Statement as part of the review process. In this regard, my Department intends to undertake a public consultation on updated draft Guidelines as part of the SEA process whereby all interested parties will have an opportunity to submit observations on the draft National Planning Statement. Finalised National Planning Statements will be prepared following detailed analysis and consideration of the submissions received during the consultation phase.
My Department is working towards concluding the finalisation of the National Planning Statement having regard to the intended public consultation and the impact of associated reforms and reviews including the revision of the NPF. The current 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines remain in force, pending the finalisation of the review.
660. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current number of stock audits completed on local authority social housing; if there is a fund to address issues identified in these audits; and if so, the overall sum allocated to this fund in 2026 and ongoing. [6324/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUltimately, the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, and the onus is on each authority to make adequate budgetary provision in their respective annual budgetary processes to address maintenance or improvements to their housing stock from within their own resources, including the significant levels of rental income generated from social housing.
Notwithstanding their statutory obligations, my department is working closely with local authorities to promote preventative, planned maintenance of social housing, informed by stock condition surveys. Local authorities continue to progress surveys, with over 10,600 completed to date. All local authority social homes will be surveyed over the next four or five years.
Some €40 million is available under the Planned Maintenance and Voids Programme in 2026 to complement local authorities' own investment in social housing maintenance. A further €140 million and €30 million is available respectively through my department's Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme and Disabled Persons Grants to support social housing remedial works. The programme requirements and allocations will issue to local authorities in respect of each in due course.
A further €50m is available in 2026 under my Departments Regeneration Programme for projects being advanced by individual local authorities.
