Results 341-360 of 9,077 for speaker:James Browne

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

James Browne: As part of their statutory obligations under the Planning and Development Act, planning authorities are required, in their city and county development plans, to include policies and objectives relating to the provision of infrastructure and facilities needed to support planned growth, including transport infrastructure, communication facilities, water and wastewater services and services for...

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

James Browne: My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority. This includes annual data on delivery against targets. This data is available to the end of Q1 2025, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Postal Voting (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 621 and 658 together. Applications for a postal vote due to illness or disability must be certified by a registered medical practitioner to enable the registration authority consider and be satisfied that the applicant is unable to attend their polling station to vote on polling day due to their illness or disability as provided for under Section 14(d) of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 622, 623 and 660 together. My Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, to assist those in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants, which include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Funding approvals are now in place for the delivery of over 6,200 affordable purchase and cost rental homes by 22 local authorities with the support of the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF). The legislative framework and arrangements in place to support local authority affordable purchase schemes are proving effective. Affordable Housing delivery reports based on quarterly returns received...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Building Regulations set the legal requirements to provide for the health, safety and welfare of people in and around buildings. My Department has no function in assessing whether any particular proposal, or any completed works, complies with the Building Regulations. The National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI Agrément, facilitates the assessment and certification of innovative...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on social housing delivery activity in all local authority areas on the statistics page of its website. Data in relation to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), including funding provided to end Q1 2025, can be found on my Department’s website at this link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: My Department supports local authorities with annual funding towards the management and maintenance of their social housing stock under a number of funding programmes including the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme (EERP). The Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) aims to retrofit a local authority home to a BER of B2. It is expected that 36,500 local authority owned homes will...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The funding of local authority second-hand acquisitions, including tenant in situ, is through my Department's Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP). The table below set out the funding provided to Louth County Council under SHIP for their acquisitions activity, including those for tenant in situ, which was introduced in 2023. Since 2023, up to 31 June 2025, Louth County Council has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) provides up to 100% capital funding to Approved Housing Bodies for the construction and targeted acquisition of housing for priority needs categories, including persons with disabilities. This position remains unchanged. That said, targeted acquisitions under CAS now come within the provisions of Circular 11/2025 Social Housing Second-Hand Acquisitions...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I have engaged with Uisce Éireann on its request for additional funding to support reaching our new housing targets as part of the NDP process. The Government published the updated National Development Plan in July 2025, with unprecedented levels of investment, to secure Ireland's future, unlock housing, upgrade water and energy infrastructure, deliver more roads, and provide better...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy. As detailed under Housing for All, the Government is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver affordable housing at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. The Government’s ambition is to build on progress to date under Housing for All,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Procurement Contracts (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Procurement Related Payments over €20,000 report for the period Q1 2025, is available on my Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-her itage/collections/procurement-related-payments-over-20000-eu ro/. The report for Q2 is currently being prepared and it is intended to make the report available at the same address by the end of this month....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Procurement Contracts (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: My Department has published the procurement related payments report for Q1 2025 on its Open Data platform at opendata.housing.gov.ie and intends to publish the reports for the period 2014 to 2024 by the end of October 2025. My Department will continue to publish future reports on both gov.ie and the open data platform. My Department currently publishes and supports a number of open...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Public Procurement Contracts (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Details of the total annual expenditure on public procurement by my Department, covering goods, services, and works, in each of the past five years are set out in the attached table. The financial management system (FMS) operated by my Department requires expenditure to be categorised between procurement and non-procurement, allowing the FMS to be used as a basis for identifying...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Community Development Projects (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 638 and 640 together. The Stage 2 application for Kings Island Community Centre is currently being reviewed by my Department. The technical review should be completed shortly and a response will issue Limerick City and County Council on the application as soon as possible thereafter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Community Development Projects (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: My Department is currently reviewing the Stage 1 application for St. Mary's Park, King's Island. Given the nature of the application, the technical review has taken longer than would be expected. That said, the review will be completed shortly and my Department will follow up directly with Limerick City and County Council as soon as possible thereafter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Election Management System (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Arrangements for the holding of elections and referendums, including the setting of the polling day, are set out in legislation. Electoral law allows for the taking of the poll at elections and referendums on any day of the week and this flexibility allows all relevant factors to be taken into account at any given time in setting the polling day. Electoral law and policy is kept under ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (17 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government-backed mortgage for those 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. To be eligible for a Local...