Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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17. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the review of the current exempted development regulations and specifically relating to increasing the size of stand-alone exempted habitable garden structures; to provide a timeline for implementation of these new regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65777/25]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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19. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide an update on the exempted development regulations on free standing residential home extensions. [65686/25]

Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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28. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the way in which Delivering Homes, Building Communities plans to revise planning regulations to allow for pre-fabricated cabins for residential use in back gardens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65690/25]

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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103. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide an update on the exempted development guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65418/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 19, 28 and 103 together.

The Government has published the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities: An Action Plan on Housing Supply and Targeting Homelessness’, which aims to deliver 300,000 new homes by the end of 2030.

Under Pillar 1, to increase the supply of additional housing, Action 4.8 commits to increase the number of development types that are exempt from planning permission to enable homeowners to adapt or extend their homes more easily, including attic conversions, subdivisions of existing homes and detached accommodation within the primary dwelling boundary.

This Action will be progressed through the continued commencement of the Planning and Development Act 2024 (Act of 2024), including, inter alia, the consequential review of the current Exempted Development Regulations which is ongoing.

Progress on this review has already been made in 2025, with the successful public consultation that took place over the summer – there was significant engagement with the public and relevant stakeholders on exempted development regulations, with over 900 submissions received via the online consultation portal.

These submissions have been reviewed over the autumn and will inform the new draft Exempted Development Regulations which will be implemented on a phased basis, by theme, with the exemptions relating to domestic dwellings being prioritised and forthcoming in the coming months.

This will includes exemptions for stand-alone detached housing units in the back gardens of residential properties, with final decisions on the specifics of any potential revisions communicated as soon as possible.

When completed, the new draft Exempted Development regulations are subject to Environmental consideration, before being laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. This will also necessitate engagement with the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

It is intended that new Regulations under the Act of 2024 will be signed into law in tandem with the commencement of Part 2 and Part 4 of the Act of 2024 and the updated exempted development provisions will form part of the new Regulations.

While the commencement of Part 4 of the Act of 2024 is awaited, certain elements of the new exempted development provisions, including agricultural effluent storage arising from the need to facilitate compliance with the EU Nitrates Directive, are being progressed for advance inclusion in the current Regulations, which Minister Cummins, as the Minister of State with responsibility for Planning, will sign into law at the earliest opportunity and will also be carried forward into the new Regulations.

In the meantime, the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (Act of 2000), and associated Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (Regulations of 2001) remain in force until the relevant sections of the Act of 2024 are commenced and the corresponding sections of the Act of 2000 are repealed. Unless specifically exempted, all development requires planning permission and all habitable space must comply with the requirements of building control and fire safety.