Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has announced the allocation of €5.53million in special funding for Waterford local roads as part of Storm Chandra Damage Remediation allocations. The storm in late January caused significant damage to a number of roads across the county. Minister Cummins has engaged extensively since to ensure funding to help address the issues in the aftermath of the severe weather event. Minister Cummins said: “I’m delighte

The 9% VAT rate for small businesses in the hospitality, tourism, and food industries will protect jobs and help businesses thrive, said Minister of State for Planning & Local Government and Waterford Fine Gael TD, John Cummins. Minister Cummins said today’s reduction in VAT for hospitality will help businesses remain competitive, continue to create jobs and provide quality services in our local communities across County Waterford. “In Fine Gael, we know that running a busine

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has today announced a series of changes to rural housing planning policy for Rural and Gaeltacht areas in County Waterford. These changes are the biggest overhaul of rural housing rules for two decades, representing a fundamental shift away from overly rigid and restrictive planning practices that have held rural communities back. The aim of the draft National Planning Statement (NPS) on rural housing is to e

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has today announced the allocation of €49,249,864 to Waterford via the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund. The funding will directly unlock the delivery of almost 3,000 homes The Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF) is a new Government fund worth €1bn over five years – aimed at speeding up housing construction, by paying for key infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity and transport link

The Principal, Deputy Principal and Chairperson of the Board of Management of Scoil Gharbháin met with Minister for Education, Hildegarde Naughton TD in Leinster House this morning. The meeting was organised by Minister John Cummins TDand was attended by Minister Mary Butler TD and an official from the Department of Education’s Planning and Building unit. Scoil Gharbháin outlined their accommodation requirements at the outset. The meeting was constructive, and progress

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has welcomed the announcement of €601,193 for five Waterford projects under the 2026 Local Authority Marine Infrastructure Scheme. Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD has announced that a €4.8million fund will support the delivery of 57 Local Authority marine infrastructure projects nationwide. Over the past five years, this scheme has supported 161 projects with a combined inve

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has hailed today’s sod turning event at Waterford Airport as a red letter day for Waterford and the wider South-East region. The Waterford Fine Gael TD was speaking as the sod was turned at Waterford Airport, paving the way for a long-awaited runway extension that will ultimately lead to the return of commercial flights for the first time since 2016. Speaking at the event, Minister Cummins said: “This is a

• Once off financial support of up to €30,000 to be administered by the Local Enterprise Office, with initial up to €5,000 ex gratia payment • Microfinance loan support of up to €50,000 with no repayments for first six months Fine Gael Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, John Cummins TD has confirmed that a comprehensive support package has been approved by Government for businesses, community, and sporting organisations impacted by the devastating fire at Ty

Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, John Cummins TD has tonight said Government is assessing how to support businesses and groups impacted by the old Jute factory fire. Minister Cummins said he has spoken with his Fine Gael colleague - Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD on how his Department can assist. Minister Cummins said: “Government, across a number ofDepartments, will look at standing up a humanitarian scheme to assist busin

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government and Waterford Fine Gael representative, John Cummins TD has expressed his shock and sadness relating to the fire at the old Jute Factory site in Waterford City overnight. Waterford Fire Services have brought a major fire which broke out at the commercial premises in Tycor on Saturday evening, May 9th under control. The building has been extensively damaged and fire services operations continue at the site this morning, as memb

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has welcomed this morning’s announcement that over 24,000 Waterford schoolchildren are set to benefit from €4,025,765 worth of funding under the 2026/27 Free School Books Scheme. 24,254 students at both primary and post-primary level across a total of 96 Waterford schools will benefit from the scheme. 13,965 children at primary level across 76 Waterford schools will avail of €1,095,600 of Government funding –

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has welcomed continued growth in housing delivery across County Waterford, as new figures show local completions increased by 7.3% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year. More than 1,000 new homes have also commenced construction in Waterford over the last twelve months, underlining sustained momentum in housing supply across the county. Nationally, Central Statistics Office (CSO)

Minister of State John Cummins has today welcomed the funding announced for Waterford City and County Council to progress work to get interim flood relief measures in place in Passage East and Tallow, as well as approval for a flood study in Colligan and approval for a flood wall at Duckspool, Dungarvan. The funding of €141,525 will support the local authority to carry out the assessments required on the properties and businesses to provide protection barriers in Passage and

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has welcomed news that 12 new special classes will be in place across a variety of Waterford schools for the 2026/27 academic year. An additional 32 special classes have been sanctioned by the Department of Education today, bringing to 464 the overall number of new special classes sanctioned for mainstream schools nationwide for 2026/27. In Waterford, new classes will be established in the following school

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD was joined by Fine Gael colleague, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD in Waterford on Thursday, April 26th for a series of engagements at local level. The first stop on the day was to Dunmore East, as a meeting was held between the respective Ministers and the Dunmore East Harbour Master at their offices in the East Waterford village, to discuss a number of issues. From there,

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has welcomed news that housing commencement figures in Waterford have exceeded 1,000 units in the last 12 months. Recent figures published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have outlined that a total of 1,039 homes commenced construction in Waterford in the period from April 2025 to March 2026. The number of homes commenced in Waterford during this period is the fourth highest in

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD will today turn the sod marking the official commencement of works on a major upgrade to a water treatment plant in Ballinamuckin West Waterford. The €29.5 million water treatment plant will deliver a safe, robust, and resilient drinking water supply for homes and businesses across Dungarvan and the surrounding areas. Minister Cummins said: “This investment will make a real difference to daily life for peo

• New landmark aviation operations officially launched at Waterford Airport Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has welcomed the official commencement of Search and Rescue aviation operations by Bristow Ireland Ltd, at an official launch event held at Waterford Airport this afternoon. The commencement of this landmark 10-year contract will provide for the day and night-time operation of four helicopter bases served by six AW189 helicopters, in

New Fire stations for Tallow and Kilmacthomas 6 new Fire Appliances & Support Vehicles Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has today confirmed an allocation of €8.7m worth of funding to Waterford City & County Council, that will lead to the construction of brand-new state-of-the-art fire stations for two communities in County Waterford and the acquisition of fire tender appliances, support vehicles and equipment. A new fire station will be c

Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD has welcomed progress on the much-needed treated water storage project in Lismore. He confirmed that Uisce Éireann will seek permission for the project in the next couple of weeks. The project will now go through the statutory planning process as part of Uisce Éireann’s ongoing programme of work in Lismore to strengthen and protect the local drinking water supply. Minister Cummins said: “I have worked exte