Results 361-380 of 9,077 for speaker:James Browne

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

James Browne: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provided for the development of a deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). However, significant changes have taken place in the rental market since this legislation was passed. It should be noted that, unlike many other jurisdictions examined, Ireland already has a well-established quasi-judicial dispute...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 644 and 645 together. Responsibility for the delivery of the housing targets set under Housing for All rests with individual local authorities, who identify the social and affordable housing need in their administrative area, and are best placed to make decisions on potential sites for development. It is therefore a matter for individual local authorities,...

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

James Browne: My Department assesses, approves and records local authority social housing delivery on a project basis. In order to provide an appropriate benchmark to use as a tool to inform the development and costing of scheme designs at capital appraisal stage, my Department periodically issues Basic Unit Costs (BUCs), for each local authority area. To monitor tender cost trends and to inform BUC...

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

James Browne: The Programme for Government commits to a new national housing plan to underpin delivery of more than 300,000 houses, including delivery of an average of 12,000 and 15,000 social and starter homes per annum respectively over the period. The revised National Planning Framework (NPF) sets out the need to plan for approximately 50,000 additional households per annum to 2040, and this...

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

James Browne: Census 2022 indicated that the total stock of habitable permanent housing was 2,112,121, including 153,192 properties rented from a local authority and 29,880 properties rented from a voluntary housing body. The National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) publishes statistics in relation to local authority social housing stock as part of its annual Performance Indicator Report. The...

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

James Browne: My Department, as part of our internal Housing Economics Research Programme and as part of our joint research programme with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), have published a number of research papers on the topics of housing costs and affordability. Housing Economics Research Papers published by my Department and in our joint research programme with the ESRI are...

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

James Browne: Part 3 of the Building Control Act 2007 introduced a system of statutory registration for architects and restricted use of the title of "architect" to persons who are registered architects. Neither my Department nor I has any direct role in the operation of this register, nor do my Department or I receive reports in relation to complaints. Complaints relating to the use of the title are a...

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

James Browne: Part 3 of the Building Control Act 2007 introduced a system of statutory registration for architects and restricted use of the title of "architect" to persons who are registered architects. Neither my Department nor I has any direct role in the operation of this register, nor do my Department nor I have any direct role in the enforcement mechanisms. This is a matter for the professional...

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

James Browne: I recently secured an additional €50 million as part of the National Development Plan process to expand the social housing second-hand acquisitions programme this year, bringing the total budget available to €375 million. I have decided to ringfence and target this additional funding at acquisitions supporting households, particularly larger families with children, to exit...

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

James Browne: My Department assesses, approves and records local authority social housing delivery on a project basis, rather than on the basis of individual unit types. SHIP-funded construction projects by local authorities must, like all publicly-funded construction programmes, comply with the Infrastructure Guidelines (Public Spending Code) and Capital Works Management Framework. My Department...

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

James Browne: The Government is acutely aware of the housing challenges faced by many sectors of society. Housing for All, Ireland's housing plan to 2030, contains a suite of actions that continue to increase the provision of housing through accelerating supply and increasing the affordability of homes for our citizens. Under the Programme for Government published in January 2025, the Government...

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

James Browne: Local authorities are designated as the lead agencies for coordinating a response to flooding and severe weather emergencies. 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. The...

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

James Browne: The First Home Scheme, which launched in July 2022, is a shared equity scheme designed to help bridge the gap between a purchaser’s deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home, for eligible first-time buyers, Fresh Start applicants and those who wish to build their first home, within regional price ceilings. The First Home Scheme Designated Activity Company is responsible...

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

James Browne: The First Home Scheme is a shared equity scheme, designed to help bridge the gap for eligible first-time buyers, eligible homebuyers, and self-builders, between their deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home (within price ceilings established across the country). Full details are available on the First Home Scheme website, www.firsthomescheme.ie/. The First Home Scheme...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 665 and 667 together. In December 2023 the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD announced the opening of the Interim Remediation Scheme (Scheme) for Fire Safety Defects in Eligible Apartments and Duplexes. The Scheme provides for the funding of emergency fire safety defect works within the scope and defined...

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

James Browne: At present, the Minister for Justice and his Department continue to have responsibility for the oversight of Owner Management Companies (OMCs). Under the Programme for Government my Department will take responsibility for the Multi-Unit Development Acts to streamline support for owners’ management companies and improve oversight. A timeline for the transfer of this function from...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 668 and 669 together. The Department acknowledges that for many economically vulnerable households, including those with children, housing is a primary expense. Many of the Department’s programmes and schemes work to shield and support vulnerable households from fluctuations in market conditions. As detailed under Housing for All, a...

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

James Browne: The Revised National Planning Framework April 2025, sets updated national and regional housing targets to 2040. These targets provide the basis for the local authority Housing Growth Requirements I issued to local authorities in July. These updated growth requirements will be incorporated into local authority development plans to ensure a balanced approach to housing growth across all...

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

James Browne: In order for a household to qualify for the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), they must first be assessed as eligible for social housing support by their local authority. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP. The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended, prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority in different...

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

James Browne: The Revised National Planning Framework, approved by the Government and the Oireachtas in April 2025 sets out updated national and regional housing targets to 2040. These targets provide the basis for the Housing Growth Requirements that I issued to local authorities in July. The updated growth requirements will be incorporated into local authority development plans to ensure a balanced...