I thank Deputy Ardagh. Tenant in situ acquisitions have been an important measure in the prevention of homelessness since their introduction in 2023. Government has therefore agreed to continue such acquisitions in 2025 and has increased the funding available for second-hand social housing acquisitions from the €60 million allocated under Housing for All to €325 million. This is being done through the allocation of an additional €265 million. My Department has been engaging with local authorities on the operational…

I thank Deputy Ardagh. In fairness to her, she is one of the many Government backbenchers who have called for both the continuation of the tenant in situ scheme and clarification in respect of it. We are glad to be able to confirm that the tenant in situ scheme will continue this year. It is important to provide clarity for people out there. I absolutely agree with the Deputy on that. The scheme has been a success. Well over 2,000 households have avoided homelessness because of the tenant in situ scheme. That is wh…

I thank the Deputies. Addressing Deputy Ó Murchú on the issue of flexibility, the Minister already mentioned that in the context of any circulars or correspondence to local authorities, there will be a degree of flexibility. It will be certainly up to local authorities to implement the scheme. There is nothing at all wrong with having some form of prioritisation. Most schemes involve prioritisation. It is good practice. I do not think it is something we should row back on in the context of this scheme. Deputy Ardag…

I welcome members of Family Carers Ireland to the Gallery. I am sure there are carers here as well. We really appreciate their attendance here today. I note the Labour Party motion, which sheds light on a very important matter we absolutely must tackle and deal with. I thank the House for the opportunity to speak on this motion and on the important role young carers play in Ireland today. I thank my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Foley, for her comprehensive remarks earlier which showcased the extent of the work t…

I thank Deputy Cummins. The Deputy's first Topical Issue was extremely well delivered. The Deputy may have answered the question in her own statement but we will get to that later. I appreciate the comments and I will feed back a lot of that. On the provision of multidenominational education, the Government is committed to increasing the provision of education in line with the choices of parents, families and school communities. Work is under way in the Department, by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to deliver on thi…

The Deputy has asked some questions that I will endeavour to get answers to, namely, how long the survey and the process of reconfiguration will take. On the unmet needs in Dublin 8, I assume it does not take into account whether there is a desire to have multidenominational education or under different patronage. We can find that out. The approach is that, if capacity of any type can be met within any of the existing schools, the Department will favour that route. I take the Deputy’s point about the other areas no…

I thank Deputy Wall for raising this issue. Clearly he is in touch with the community there and is aware of the anguish that this type of move causes, the anxiety not just among the residents and their families but the community too, as people are worried about the future of residents. I wish to assure the Deputy that every effort will be made to ensure that proper care is given and that they are accommodated. The new programme for Government has highlighted the importance of our community services for older people…

I presume when the Deputy says a service provider has visited the site, it is the site of the old centre which St. Vincent de Paul has given notice it is closing. I appreciate that and will get clarification on whether it is something that can happen. I will certainly ask the question. The Deputy also asked whether the Minister might be able to visit the community there. Certainly I can see how that would be a helpful exercise. I will ensure that the Minister gets that request and can reply. Right across Ireland, c…

I thank Deputy Stanley. He has highlighted well the challenges they face in Rathdowney fire station. It sounds like they have a fantastic crew and great equipment but they need a new building. The first half of my response will be focused on Stradbally. The Deputy will be wondering why the hell I am focusing on Stradbally, but I will put it in context in the second half of the response, if that is okay. The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire bri…

I outlined Stradbally because it is now earmarked for being delivered in 2025, which very much opens the way now for Rathdowney.

In December 2024, Laois County Council submitted an updated preliminary appraisal for a proposed new fire station at Rathdowney, noting several issues with the existing station, including, as the Deputy highlighted, the accessibility of the site for responding firefighters due to its central location on a narrow street within Rathdowney, the station's limited size and poor layout and the limited welfare facilities, particularly in the context, following the August 2023 Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, agreement…

I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this issue. I know that in his term in the Dáil and prior to that as a councillor, he has very much been an advocate for community hospitals in Kerry, in particular the West Kerry Community Hospital. We know how important the community hospitals are. They are fantastic in the level of care and service that their patients and residents get. We need to protect them but we also need to ensure that they are working at full capacity. I hope that I can answer that question as best I can.…

I thank Deputy Cahill again. There are 46 beds registered in West Kerry Community Hospital, 42 of which are currently open and occupied. West Kerry Community Hospital cannot admit more residents at present, as the opening of additional beds is dependent on staffing levels. West Kerry Community Hospital has experienced some difficulties with staff shortages, but all efforts are being made on a continuous basis to ensure safe staffing levels are in place to maximise the residential care capacity in the facility. Once…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: notes that: — increasing the overall housing supply is key to addressing the housing challenge and preventing and ultimately eliminating long-term homelessness, and the clear focus of Government must therefore remain on increasing the supply of new build social and affordable homes; — notwithstanding, a targeted second-hand social housing acquisition programme has been and will continue to be an important policy response …

It is not being scrapped.

I thank Senator Byrne. I welcome the fact she has raised this issue because she is quite right to point out it has raised its head throughout the country. People are in homes that are probably not suitable for heat pumps as they have to be at a certain building energy rating for the heat pump to work and many older homes just do not have this option. I appreciate the point. I do not think we will reverse it completely, as Senator Byrne has asked for, but there are technologies that we could look at exploring, such …

I appreciate the Senator's points. We are all encountering this problem in our constituency offices across Ireland, in that people could once apply for these grants but cannot now. Obviously, there is a point to it, in that we have to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, but I will take the Senator's suggestion back to the Minister. The Minister for climate action and the environment will also have a role to play. However, if there is potentially a window for hydrotreated vegetable oil and there is a 90% reduction …

I thank Senator Ryan. It is a really important issue. I am lucky enough to have a bit of Gaeltacht in my constituency in, for example, places like Cape Clear. I appreciate that this is an issue. The Senator backed up what she had to say with statistics on the number of Irish speakers. What I will outline here are the immediate plans in respect of tying in with the recent planning legislation passed by the Houses, and also the guidelines that are forthcoming. The Irish language is the first official language of the …

I thank the Senator. I appreciate that her matter relates to trying to reduce red tape. That does seem like another layer of red tape, but it really is important that we protect these Gaeltacht areas and ensure that there is some level of Irish spoken in them. On the red tape in general, the Senator raised a very good point. There needs to be a bespoke approach to Gaeltacht areas - and I would say island areas as well - involving some type of innovative housing solution. We are seeing that it is proving more and mo…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. If there is a situation where there are 55 vacant homes in one town in Kerry that is not good enough and it is something we absolutely need to address.