Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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207. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he is aware that the current council housing application does not give an applicant the option to choose domestic violence in the home criteria on a local government housing application form, nor give an option of fleeing coercive control; if he will commit to amending the council housing application form to include this as qualifying criterion (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5375/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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All applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended.

The prescribed social housing application form seeks various information about the applicant household such as details on their current accommodation, the facilities of that accommodation and the reasons for seeking support. Regulation 23 of the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 sets out the aspects of a household's current accommodation to which the authority will have regard when determining a household's basis of need for social housing support, which includes whether the accommodation is unsuitable for the household’s adequate housing on exceptional medical or compassionate grounds.

If a household meets the eligibility and need criteria, it qualifies for the suite of social housing supports, including HAP, and is placed on the housing list to be considered for the allocation of suitable tenancies in accordance with the authority’s allocation scheme.

Each application must be considered on its own merits and the individual circumstances taken into account. Local authorities will prioritise allocations to those households they consider to be most in need, which can include victims of domestic violence.

There are no plans at present to amend the prescribed social housing application form or the housing need criteria as set out in the 2011 Regulations. That said, my Department keeps the Regulations under regular review in order to ensure that they continue to be appropriate.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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208. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to extend the temporary waiver in respect of development levies to local authorities for those building houses in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5386/25]

Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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211. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will extend the temporary waiver in respect of development contributions to local authorities for those building houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5401/25]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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212. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he intends to extend the temporary waiver of development contributions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5402/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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218. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will extend the waiver in respect of development contributions of €4,200 for new house builds, which has been a huge help to potential homeowners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5438/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 208, 211, 212 and 218 together.

On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs, including the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann water and waste water connection charges.

The schemes initially applied for one year to all permitted residential development that commenced on site between 25 April 2023 (the date of the Government Decision approving the measure) and 24 April 2024, and that are completed not later than 31 December 2025. On 23 April 2024, the Government approved an extension for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions in respect of residential development commenced not later than 31 December 2024 and the refunding of Uisce Éireann water and waste water connection charges in respect of residential development commenced not later than 30 September 2024. There are no plans to change these dates.

In April 2024, the final date for the completion of development works on qualifying houses under the schemes was extended from 31 December 2025 to 31 December 2026.