How many blocks did you lay?

It is high at the moment.

I can only imagine what the Deputy's heart rate was like when he was laying the blocks.

The Report of the Approved Housing Body Strategic Forum presents an ambitious and transformative vision for the AHB sector and sets out a detailed roadmap of policy development reforms to enable the realisation of that vision over the years ahead. The forum, which was established in December 2023, undertook a comprehensive review of the AHB sector and concluded its structured engagements and analysis at the end of 2024. These included a series of national workshops involving over 150 participants, broad stakeholder…

The Minister was in before the committee, but, more specifically, as the report has now been published, the Minister has established a special working sectoral group in this area. There were eight interlinked policy developments. The Deputy has referred to some of them. We want to get the AHBs to go more towards direct delivery to examine the reformed income model for the AHB social housing revolving fund, establishing an AHB sector restructuring sustainable fund and then capital funding to support more sustainabil…

More specifically on the issue the Deputy has raised about turnkey developments, there is a process being initiated at the moment towards a call for proposals. Through the Department but particularly the local authorities, the State will define the location, the typology and tenure of housing needed as well as specifications and value parameters for any of the scheme proposals. The AHB proposals are aligned with our local authority housing delivery actions. This is about the AHBs getting more into direct build in t…

The Deputy is keeping us busy tonight.

The HAP scheme continues to play a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of quarter 2, 2025, over 128,500 HAP tenancies had been set up since the scheme commenced, of which 51,736 households were actively in receipt of HAP support. Under HAP,a tenant sources their own accommodation in the private rental market. This accommodation should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned. Where a tenant’s c…

It is good to see the Deputy back to his passionate best. The Department and the Minister are very aware of the pressures on existing tenancies and it is existing tenancies the Deputy is talking about. The particular issues around that are currently under active consideration by the Department and it is something we are actively looking at in terms of existing tenancies and affordability. I note the point. I do not know the particular circumstances regarding Sylvia. If the Deputy wants us to follow up with the loca…

If the Deputy wishes to send us on the details regarding, Sylvia, the lady he referenced he can. As I said earlier, the Minister and the Department are fully aware of the pressures people are under, particularly in terms of the Deputy's question around HAP. A review is under way in that particular regard. We note the point the Deputy is raising in terms of cost rental as well and it is something we will consider.

The management and maintenance of local authority social homes, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, implementing a planned maintenance programme and carrying out responsive repairs are matters for each individual local authority under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities are also statutorily required to ensure all their tenanted homes comply with the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. Notwithstanding these obligations, my Department provides annual funding under…

I thank the Deputy. I can see his passion. The Minister and the Department want to move to a planned maintenance programme, away from legacy. We want to bring all those units and homes up to a state of repair. The focus from now on will be about a model for planned maintenance such that houses can be re-let promptly, but ongoing works are being done to homes in order that when they become vacant, they are then in a reasonably good state and only a modest amount of work has to be done to re-let them. The Deputy will…

I have a couple of figures for the Deputy. A sum of €31 million is being given in 2025 towards voids and planned maintenance. It will be €40 million for next year, 2026. Furthermore, the intention is that local authorities will have these stock surveys done over the next four to five years.

We have to be ambitious about getting these surveys completed.

Ultimately, the key point is that there are two areas here. Number one, the local authority itself has rental income coming in, which is ring-fenced in terms of maintenance for its housing stock. Furthermore, the Department gives additional funding in that regard as well. But we have to move. Everyone talks about future-proofing and coming up with a model that will work into the future. I think the Deputy would accept that we need to get to a space where we have a plan maintenance rolling model rather than a model …

I thank Deputies Farrell and Connolly for raising this important matter. Áras Mhic Dara community nursing unit provides important and valued services for the people in Carraroe and surrounding areas. I understand the significant role the community nursing unit plays in the community and the depth of feeling associated with the facility. Áras Mhic Dara community nursing unit is registered with HIQA to accommodate a maximum of 38 residents for long-term residential care, which both Deputies have mentioned. The HSE ha…

I again thank Deputies Farrell and Connolly for raising this important matter in respect of Aras Mhic Dara community nursing unit in Carraroe. As I said previously, I will meet the HSE on the particular issue of the nine beds, which is the principal issue raised this evening in the House. I take account of the wider issues in the region in terms of rural and community nursing homes and it is something else I will discuss. The particular issue of the nine beds in Áras Mhic Dara is critical. As I said, there are 38 b…

St. Vincent's Community Nursing Unit, Mountmellick, County Laois, is a public nursing home that currently provides 56 long-stay beds and one short-stay bed. Phase 1 of the current capital project for St. Vincent's consists of a new two-storey development containing 50 single en suite rooms adjacent and linked to the existing facility. The project is expected to be construction complete in the next few weeks. It is currently expected that St. Vincent’s will be operational in Q1 of 2026, following the transfer of res…

I thank Deputies Stanley and Aird for raising this matter. As I said earlier, the HSE is currently reviewing matters in respect of phase 2 and, more particularly, in respect of the use of the existing building in terms of pure logistics. The person in charge is in contact with HIQA. There was a request for a preliminary visit of the area in respect of the new building and specifically in respect of the existing building. As I said, the eight-bed dementia unit will continue to operate in the existing building. The H…

It is good to see such strong cross-party representation from the constituency of Laois. On the particular matter Deputy Stanley raised, there are two aspects. They are currently reviewing the scope for additional works under phase 2. More particularly, both Deputies raised the point in respect of the existing building. I followed up with the HSE yesterday in advance of our debate. I got the update the Deputy is looking for, which is that it is currently looking at the use of the existing building. It is looking at…