Results 321-340 of 9,077 for speaker:James Browne

Child Poverty and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (24 Sep 2025)

James Browne: -----and do not actually want to provide practical solutions.

Child Poverty and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (24 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I have considered the Labour Party motion. The Government has presented its countermotion on child poverty and homelessness, which shows our determination to drive down the child poverty rates, increase supports for families and tackle family homelessness. We have outlined the significant progress we have made and reinforced our firm commitment...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 362, 371, 372 and 373 together. The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2025 (the RTA) regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the rented residential sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the RTA to operate a national tenancy...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 364, 375 and 382 together. My Department formally wrote to all local authorities on 15 September 2025 in relation to the funding of the Second-hand Acquisitions Programme for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026. The Programme provides funding to local authorities to acquire second-hand properties to address the following areas:Tenancy Sustainment - Tenant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Middle East (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 365 and 366 together. I can confirm that my Department has not purchased or acquired any product or service from Israel, the Occupied Territories or the Occupied Palestinian Territory in the past two years.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 370 and 377 together. Under the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, each local authority has an elected council. The elected council is the policy-making arm of the local authority, who act by what are termed 'reserved functions'. These comprise mainly decisions on important matters of policy and finance. The day-to-day management of each local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The most recently published summary for all counties, conducted in November 2024, is available on my Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/collection/62486-summary-of-social-housing-ass essments/...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government-backed mortgage for creditworthy applicants who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. Under the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: My Department undertakes the Lead Government Department role, as set out in the Strategic Emergency Management (SEM) Framework (2017), in relation to the coordination of national level responses to severe weather and flooding emergencies, where warranted. My Department's National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management undertakes this role and works closely with local authority...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Process (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Electoral law provides for postal voting for a number of different categories of people. These are: whole-time members of the Defence Forces, members of An Garda Síochána, Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses/civil partners, electors living at home who are unable to vote because of an illness or a disability, electors whose occupation, service or employment...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 384 to 386, inclusive, together. The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2025 (the RTA) regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The RTA apply to every dwelling that is the subject of a tenancy, subject to a limited number of exceptions. The dwellings to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: One of the objectives of Housing for All was to wind down long term leasing from the end of 2025, which has been reflected through gradually reducing long term leasing delivery targets over the recent past, culminating in a target of just 200 for 2025. This objective does not include all types of long term leasing; it excludes the Mortgage to Rent scheme and Repair and Lease. While there is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant introduced in July 2022, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. A top-up grant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) commenced on 22 June 2023 and contains the grant scheme and the related Regulations, which were adopted on 29 June 2023. A review mechanism is provided within the Act, which provides for an increase or decrease in the overall grant scheme cap a year after the Act has been commenced by no more...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Process (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Article 12 of the Constitution sets out the basic provisions in relation to the office of President. Article 4 2° states that “every candidate for election, not a former or retiring President, must be nominated either by (i) not less than twenty persons, each of whom is at the time a member of one of the Houses of the Oireachtas, or (ii) by the Councils of not less than four...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Housing Provision (18 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Residential Property Price Register is produced by the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA) pursuant to section 86 of the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011. It includes the Address, Date of Sale and Sale Price of residential properties purchased in Ireland since the 1st January 2010, as declared to the Revenue Commissioners for stamp duty purposes. A Data Sharing...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Defective Building Materials (18 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) was commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. Under the terms of the scheme, it is recommended that a homeowner engages a tax compliant building contractor to carry out the remediation works to the dwelling in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Data (18 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 280 and 281 together. An Coimisiún Pleanála is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. The information requested is regarding...