Mícheál Lehane

Political Correspondent at RTÉ

Political Correspondent with @rtenews Tweets are my own.

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Articles

McDonald predicts push back against Triple Lock proposals

5 days ago | rte.ie | Mícheál Lehane

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Councils to be asked to find more land for housing

5 days ago | rte.ie | Mícheál Lehane

Local authorities will be asked next week to begin work on finding more land that can be zoned for housing. Minister for Housing James Browne is to write to councils in the coming days requesting them to quickly identify land suitable for housing. The Government has set a target of delivering more than 300,000 homes between this year and 2030.
Ardagh sorry over absence during specially created slot

1 week ago | rte.ie | Mícheál Lehane

Fianna Fáil TD Catherine Ardagh has apologised after she failed to turn to ask a question in the specially-created speaking slot for government backbenchers and the Independent TDs supporting the coalition. The TD was attending the first meeting of the new Public Accounts Committee this morning and did not have phone coverage in the basement rooms of Leinster House. "I was fully engaged with listening to the C&AG," she said.
Dáil hears tragic incidents being filmed for social media

1 week ago | rte.ie | Mícheál Lehane

People are recording tragic incidents to put them on social media, Independent TD Michael Lowry has told the Dáil. The Tipperary TD said that last week a mother had to watch her son's final moments on an online platform. Luke Hyde, who was aged 34, was filmed after he got into difficulty and later drowned in the River Lee in Cork. Social media has become the scourge of our times, it is destroying lives and we seem powerless to stop it, Mr Lowry said.
Call for clarity over capital funding to Uisce Éireann

1 week ago | rte.ie | Mícheál Lehane

The Government must clarify urgently what capital funding is being provided to Uisce Éireann, according to Sinn Féin. The party's housing spokesman, Eoin Ó Broin, claims that the coalition has been "caught out again misleading the public". The assertion follows a report in The Irish Times which states that an announcement of an extra €1 billion for the water utility in Budget 2025 to support increased housing supply was not actually additional funding.
Plan for health labels on alcohol may be delayed

2 weeks ago | rte.ie | Mícheál Lehane

Tánaiste Simon Harris has strongly indicated that a plan to introduce health labels on alcohol drinks is set to be delayed. Labels that showed the calorie content in drinks along with the grams of alcohol, were set to become a legal requirement for producers in May 2026. However, Mr Harris told the Dáil that there is now a very new trade environment and the matter will be looked at again given the concerns within the industry.
Tánaiste says no decisions have been made on housing czar

2 weeks ago | rte.ie | Mícheál Lehane

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What is the Housing Activation Office, who will lead it?

2 weeks ago | rte.ie | Mícheál Lehane

The Housing Activation Office has been established within the Department of Housing by Minister James Browne. The Government says the establishment of the office is needed to "ensure a radical step change in housing supply" and to quickly address "barriers to the delivery of vital public infrastructure projects needed to enable greater housing development". However, Opposition TDs have criticised the position and its proposed salary of €430,000 for the person who will head up the office.
Cabinet committee to discuss appointment of housing czar

2 weeks ago | rte.ie | Mícheál Lehane

The Cabinet Housing Committee will discuss who might lead the newly-established Housing Activation Office. The office is aiming to remove barriers to the delivery of homes across the country. The unit will have a focus on working with local authorities, builders and utility providers to get homes built quicker. However, the political focus has mainly been on who will lead the new office. NAMA boss Brendan McDonagh is Minister for Housing James Browne's preferred candidate for the role.
What is the Housing Activation Office, who will lead it?

2 weeks ago | rte.ie | Mícheál Lehane

Strictly necessary cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the site, use its features and/or services. Any cookies used in this way are first party only in nature and the data that is collected is fully aggregated. Without these cookies, the Site will not perform as smoothly for you as we would like it to and we may not be able to provide the Site or certain services or features.