I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. The case study she has presented is obviously challenging for the family involved. A key priority for the Government is that everybody should have access to sustainable and good quality housing to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and located close to essential services, offering a high quality of life. The Government plans to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 units per year over the next decade. This includes…

Certainly I will take this back to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. I will speak to him personally about it. If all parties are in agreement, it is important to engage proactively on the ground with the AHB and the Housing Agency to try to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible. On the suggestion about having a person allocated, I am not sure about that but certainly I can find out. Obviously, there is a team dealing with it in our Department. The idea of a dedicated person as a point of contact is a …

I absolutely appreciate the concerns of landowners but road safety is one of the issues that is not covered under the Wildlife Act. Therefore the cutting of trees that are causing, or have the potential to cause, a road safety hazard can still be carried out but there are no plans to extend out the hedge-cutting season.

Some 165,000 households use septic tanks as their wastewater treatment. The contamination and potential for contamination of groundwater in household wells can be very significant for human health and the environment, particularly for vulnerable groups such as infants, pregnant women and elderly people and people with underlying health conditions, as well as the risk of phosphorous, nitrogen potential sources of pollution. It is a very serious issue across the country given the number of systems in place in individ…

I can provide the Deputy with a table of inspections per county. I do not have it to hand. These are important grants. There are three available. The national inspection grant is available to householders who failed an inspection carried out by a local authority under the national inspection plan and received an advisory notice. The priority area for action grant is available to a householder where the domestic wastewater system is situated in a prioritised area for action as identified under the river basin plan. …

I agree wholeheartedly. We will be launching the new water action plan, the third cycle of the river basin management plan. Within that we intend to expand significantly the number of areas for action and high-status objective areas. That will give added support to householders in those catchments. This comes about because of the deteriorating quality of our water and catchments. The action plan will envisage and anticipate that we will significantly ramp up the level of inspections and actions to deal with these. …

The expansion of the areas will give the opportunity for more householders to avail of these grants.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 92, 250, 256 and 261 together. Accelerating the delivery of housing is a key priority for Government. Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase and fast-track the supply of housing, and it is delivering. This continues to break records year on year for the delivery of housing. Almost 33,000, that is, 32,695 new homes were completed last year, which is the highest in 15 years. The residential vacancy rate has dipped below 4% and dereliction is down 7.9% according to Ge…

The Deputy raised the very important point of people who find themselves in difficult situations, whether it is a home being repossessed, marital breakdown or another issue, which can impact on their ability to sustain housing and find affordable housing. The Government is responding to this through Housing for All, the fresh start principles, the local authority home loan scheme and the Croí Cónaithe grants, which are very useful in enabling people to find properties and renovate them for accommodation. The Deputy…

There needs to be uniformity in the appeals process across the country and I am certain that there is. As I said, our Department carries out an annual review of that with all the constituent local authorities to ensure there is a fair and balanced approach to appeals. However, appeals do work. If people follow due process, the appeals process can work. As I said, there are many opportunities now for people who find themselves either outside income thresholds. They have other means to get a roof over their heads. Ki…

The Government has developed the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme for tenants in private rental homes who are at risk of homelessness because a landlord intends to sell the property but who are not in receipt of social housing supports. The scheme was established on a temporary administrative basis from 1 April 2023 and is managed by the Housing Agency pending further policy development over the longer term, with the intention of transitioning these tenants and homes to the standard cost-rental model. Tenants in p…

There are price guidelines for each local authority. I do not have them to hand here. With regard to the number of homes acquired under the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme to date, 47 bids have been accepted to the end of quarter 3 of 2023 since the launch of the scheme on 1 April 2023. Those bids will obviously be expected to rise over the coming months.

They are, yes.

The guidelines are there and they are consistent with local authority housing purchase. Local authorities do have some discretion with regard to those.

That legislation is in preparation at the moment.

At the outset, I will explain that An Bord Pleanála is independent in the performance of its functions under the planning Act, and the role of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage with regard to the planning system is primarily to provide a policy and legislative framework under which the planning authorities, namely, the Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, and An Bord Pleanála perform their statutory planning functions. The Irish planning system is an open process and encourages participation…

l am not going to comment on specific cases and nor do I think that is appropriate.

Nor do I think it is appropriate to bring specific case numbers into the House.

I do not think it is appropriate.

As I outlined in my opening statement, a root and branch reform of our planning system is under way through the new Planning and Development Bill and the provision of significant additional resources to and reform of An Bord Pleanála, which I think has been welcomed by everyone in this House. The statistics speak for themselves with the numbers of case files being heard and deliberated upon. That is absolutely vital and essential given where we with the development of the country because these decisions have to be …