Results 461-480 of 8,310 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Cost Rental is a key element of the Housing For All strategy to improve affordability in the rental sector and to provide secure, long-term homes for moderate-income households. Though only introduced in 2021, delivery is accelerating, with over 3,600 homes already delivered by the end of 2024, and a substantial pipeline is now in place. My Department is providing significant funding to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: On 10 June 2025, the Government approved stronger tenancy protections and greater certainty for the rental sector, including the introduction of a national rent control, as part of a suite of measures to boost the supply of new homes and secure and grow the availability of rental accommodation. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2025 was signed into law on 19 June 2025. The Act...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The Programme for Government (PfG) recognised that more is needed to be done to coordinate and accelerate home building by unblocking infrastructure delays and by coordinating investment in servicing zoned land. Government has agreed to the establishment of a new Housing Activation Office (the Office), which will be the delivery mechanism for the PfG commitment, and my Department has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The First Home Scheme (FHS), 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. The First Home Scheme Designated Activity Company is responsible for the operation and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The EU Short Term Rental (STR) Regulation was adopted by the EU on 11 April 2024 and is applicable from 20 May 2026. This Regulation lays down harmonised rules on the collection and exchange of data on short-term rental services for member states, hosts providing short-term accommodation rental services, and online platforms that offer services to hosts providing short-term accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: My Department, working closely with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and other relevant stakeholders, is progressing work to increase delivery capacity in the residential construction sector through promoting the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction or MMC. MMC is a collective term which describes innovative construction alternatives to traditional construction, which...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme supports the building of apartments in urban cores for sale to owner-occupiers. The Scheme aims to activate the supply of units which otherwise would not be delivered due to viability challenge by providing funding support to bridge the current "Viability Gap" between the delivery cost of building apartments and the market sale price (where the cost...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Solar Energy Guidelines (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: My Department notes the commitment in the Programme for Government 2025 – Securing Ireland’s Future to introduce planning guidelines for solar energy developments. In light of this commitment, my Department has begun an initial scoping process to identify the component factors relevant to the preparation of planning guidelines for solar energy development, including any...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Since the publication of the current Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines in 2005 (which continue to have effect in addition to subsequent clarifications and national policy changes in the National Planning Framework) there have been important changes to our planning system. Most notably, obligations under European Directives and international agreements relating to the management and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Burial Grounds (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The question of whether any persons might be reburied in Glasnevin Cemetery is not one on which I can comment on as Glasnevin Cemetery is the responsibility of the Dublin Cemeteries Trust. My responsibilities and indeed those of the Office of Public Works, in relation to Kilmainham Gaol, arise under the National Monuments Act 1930 as a national monument of which I am owner. These...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The local authority Development Plan is the principal planning strategy document which sets out the relevant policies and objectives to guide the physical development of each city and county over a six-year period and is required to be consistent with the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the relevant Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy. The Revised NPF was approved by Government...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I refer to my reply to Question No. 17 of 13 May 2025 which sets out the position in this matter. A condition of the planning scheme for the Poolbeg West Strategic Development Zone, as modified by An Bord Pleanála in April 2019, is the provision of 15% social and affordable homes on this site in addition to the 10% statutory social housing requirement under Part V arrangements. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: 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 including the Planning and Development Act 2024. The Planning and Development Act 2024, includes a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 and 105 together. The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme and the Secure Tenancy Affordable Rental (STAR) Investment Scheme are part of a suite of housing measures in Housing for All designed to increase social, affordable and private housing supply. Such measures also include local authority delivered affordable housing for purchase, the new cost...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85, 92, 96 and 475 together. The clear focus of Government is to increase the supply of new build social and affordable homes. This is key to addressing the housing challenge and in particular preventing and ultimately eliminating long term homelessness, and that unquestionably must be the priority for all local authorities including Fingal County Council. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Central Government funding of local authorities presents a complex picture, with transfers, both current and capital, coming from a wide range of Departments and Offices for a variety of purposes. Central Government grant funding to Kildare County Council has increased by more than 60% from €168.3m in 2018 to €271.9m in 2023, according to their audited annual financial...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (1 Jul 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. The scheme is now open to applications in five counties: Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Mayo and Sligo with comprehensive information of all aspects of the Scheme available on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The allocation of social housing support to qualified households, including the prioritisation of certain categories of households, is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with its allocation scheme made in accordance with Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011, as amended. This...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Development (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The overall aim of the Urban Development Zone (UDZ) process under Part 22 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 (Act of 2024) is to provide for an updated and more flexible approach to the masterplanning and delivery of areas with significant potential for large scale development, including residential development, in tandem with the associated supporting infrastructure. The UDZ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: There are already existing obligations for pre-planning meetings set out in planning legislation. Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (Act of 2000), Section 247 provides that a person who has an interest in land and who intends to make a planning application may, with the agreement of the planning authority concerned (which shall not be unreasonably withheld), enter...