Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1142. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the immediate measures being implemented to address the critical shortage of rental properties available under the housing assistance payment scheme, given that only 41 such properties were available nationwide in March 2025, representing just 4% of all rental listings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21659/25]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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1312. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he plans to review the housing assistance payment scheme in light of recent reports of a shortfall in the number of housing units available within it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20467/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1325. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government what immediate measures are being implemented to address the critical shortage of rental properties available under the Housing Assistance Payment scheme, given that only 41 such properties were available nationwide in March 2025, representing just 4% of all rental listings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20638/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1142, 1312 and 1325 together.

Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned. Local authorities have a responsibility to ensure that tenancies are sustainable and are advised not to provide HAP support to tenancies where the household would not be in a position to meet the rental costs being sought.

Since 11 July 2022, each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 35% above the prescribed maximum rent limit, and for new tenancies to extend the couple’s rate to single person households. Up to 50% discretion can be provided in the case of homeless households in the Dublin region. It is a matter for the local authority to determine whether, and to what extent, the application of the flexibility is warranted.

From available data, at the end of 2024, 69.0% of the total number of households being supported by HAP were benefiting from the additional flexibility, at an average rate of discretion of 29.2% above the relevant limit.

When the additional discretion available to homeless households in the Dublin Region is removed, 66.0% of households nationally were benefiting from the additional flexibility. In those cases, the average rate of discretionary payment being used was 24.1% above the relevant limit.

An average of 156 new HAP tenancies were set up each week in 2024 indicating that the scheme continues to support large numbers households to secure a home in the private rental market. My Department continues to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review and closely monitors the level of discretion being used by local authorities, taking into account other sources of data, including Residential Tenancies Board rent data published on a quarterly basis.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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1143. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the proposed planning exemption for modular homes will come into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18510/25]

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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1318. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to outline when he will commence a proposed exemption under planning rules for independent slurry storage construction. [20534/25]

Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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1333. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he plans to extend the provisions of S.I. No. 75/2022 – Planning and Development Act (Exempted Development) Regulations 2022, which allow for the change of use of certain vacant properties to residential use without the need for planning permission, beyond the current expiry date of 31 December 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20705/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1143, 1318 and 1333 together.

While the Planning and Development Act 2024 was enacted in October 2024, it is not yet commenced and the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended and associated Planning and Development Regulations 2001 remain in force.

A review of the current Exempted Development Regulations is ongoing and engagement with Government Bodies is due to be completed in the coming weeks. Following this a wider public consultation on exempted development regulations will be undertaken. Members of the public, State bodies and other concerned parties will be able to make submissions in writing as part of the consultation process.

The Government cannot pre-empt the outcome of any consultation and therefore no decision has been made in respect of any revisions to current exempted development provisions; this includes exemptions for modular homes, independent slurry storage and for the change of use of certain vacant properties to residential use. Any update to Exempted Development Regulations will require positive resolutions by both Houses of the Oireachtas before it can be signed into law.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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1144. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his reasoning for introducing new restrictions on the tenant in-situ-scheme; if he will remove the need to be in receipt of the housing assistance payment or rental accommodation scheme for two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18515/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased that the Government is providing continuing and substantial financial support for Tenant in Situ acquisitions in 2025, following on from similar investments in 2023 and 2024.

I have made €325 million available to our local authorities for their social housing second hand acquisitions activity in 2025 and asked that they prioritise Tenant in Situ acquisitions but have also allowed for other categories of acquisitions, supporting persons/families to exit homelessness; one-bedroom properties to deliver on Housing First targets; specific housing required for people with a disability or the elderly and vacant properties under the Buy & Renew scheme.

Despite some coverage to the contrary, the eligibility criteria for Tenant in Situ acquisitions in 2025 is not overly restrictive. It is largely the same as guidance issued in June, 2024 and not substantially different to what was required in 2023. We have asked local authorities, as we did in previous years, to ensure that they are responding to a valid Notice of Termination where there is a real risk of homelessness and to examine all options for the ongoing accommodation of the household before progressing with an acquisition.

There is no requirement that a tenant be in receipt of HAP or RAS for 2 years, rather the requirement is that the property will have been the subject of social housing support payments for a continuous period of at least 2 years.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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1145. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if any limitations apply to the purchase of existing property within Gaeltacht areas; if any current rules in force are satisfactory and achieving their policy aims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18522/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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It should be noted in the first instance that I, as Minister, have no function with regard to intervening in the onward sale or purchase of private property in Gaeltacht areas. However, policies have been developed with regard to Gaeltacht areas through both legislation and ministerial guidance provided to operate within the planning system.

At present, the Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended, sets out mandatory objectives for local authorities, which must be addressed in the drafting of their Development Plan governing local development policies. Where there is a Gaeltacht area within the planning authority’s administrative area, the development plan must include provisions and objectives for “the protection of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Gaeltacht including the promotion of Irish as the community language”.

The Development Plans Guidelines for Local Authorities published in July 2022 give further guidance to local authorities, including reflecting the Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas (Limistéar Pleanála Teanga – LPTs as required under the Gaeltacht Act 2012) as well as the inclusion of further policies such as ensuring that development proposals in Gaeltacht areas have a positive impact on the linguistic and cultural heritage that can be robustly assessed at planning application stage.

In addition, an Interdepartmental Group (comprising my Department, the Department of Rural, Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG) and Údarás na Gaeltachta) is still continuing its work in developing specific planning guidance for Gaeltacht areas. There is also a separate Working Group made up of both Departments and Údarás na Gaeltachta and the relevant local authorities with Gaeltacht areas. Interdepartmental Group and Working Group meetings took place in 2023 and bilateral Departmental engagement continued into 2024 and is ongoing.

Having regard to the need to consider the complex matters involved and further to engagement with the DRCDG, finalised draft guidelines will be subject to mandatory screening under EU law for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), as well as for the purposes of Appropriate Assessment (AA). It is intended that, in consultation with DRCDG, subject to the outcome of the screening exercises, the draft guidelines will then be published for public consultation.

Government has also implemented several measures in recent years to support home ownership, including, inter alia, measures introduced in May 2021 through the Regulation of Commercial Institutional Investment in Housing Guidelines for Planning Authorities, to ensure that own-door housing units and duplex units in lower density housing developments are not bulk-purchased for market rental purposes by commercial institutional investors in a manner that causes the displacement of individual purchasers and/or social and affordable housing including cost rental housing. These measures have succeeded in preventing the inappropriate bulk purchase of a very significant number of homes and securing those homes for purchase by homeowners, both in Gaeltacht and non-Gaeltacht areas.