Results 481-500 of 7,789 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Planning Framework (15 May 2025)

James Browne: The National Planning Framework (NPF), is the whole-of-Government strategy for strategic planning and sustainable development of our urban and rural areas to 2040, with the core objectives of securing balanced regional development and a sustainable ‘compact growth’ approach to the form and pattern of future development. The NPF, together with the National Development Plan 2021...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: 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 Galway County Council. My Department is continuing to provide substantial financial...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: 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 Donegal County Council. My Department is continuing to provide substantial...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (15 May 2025)

James Browne: Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The scope, prioritisation and progression of individual projects is a matter for Uisce Éireann and is approved through its own internal governance structures. Under Section 7 of the Water Services (No.2) Act 2013, I have no function in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 May 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Process (15 May 2025)

James Browne: The Marine Protected Areas Bill is at an advanced stage of drafting. It is intended to finalise this draft as soon as possible and seek government approval to publish the Bill this year. The draft Bill will need revision to reflect new Ministerial responsibilities and transfers of functions between Departments once these have taken place.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (15 May 2025)

James Browne: The Government is providing continuing and substantial financial support to local authorities to acquire second-hand properties for priority categories of need including tenants-in-situ who have been in receipt of supports under HAP or RAS and who had received a Notice of Termination. The €325 million allocation I announced on the 31 March 2025 has been made available to our local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (15 May 2025)

James Browne: The policy of providing grant funding for remedial work on septic tanks arises from the need to address damage being done to water quality in sensitive areas in particular. There are three grant schemes available to householders relating to Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (DWWTS), commonly known as Septic Tank Grants. The purpose of these grants is to incentivise householders to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Budgets (15 May 2025)

James Browne: The Uisce Éireann Strategic Funding Plan 2025-2029 was approved in November 2024 and sets out an ambitious capital investment plan to make necessary improvements to water and wastewater infrastructure including new capacity to facilitate growth. The Strategic Funding Plan 2025-2029 includes the capital and operational costs expected to be incurred by Uisce Éireann over a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: The Social Housing Investment Programme is a major capital funding programme under which all local authority led Social Housing delivery is funded. In that context, and when all Social Housing Investment Programme funding streams are included for the referenced years 2023, 2024 and 2025, over 5,000 funding applications have been submitted to my Department, therefore, the information...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (15 May 2025)

James Browne: Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such rent schemes is generally a matter for local authorities within broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’ ability to pay. Local discretion and flexibility are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (15 May 2025)

James Browne: Increased supply is key to meeting need and addressing the challenges in the housing market. Government is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social, affordable and cost rental homes at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. Housing for All contains a suite of actions that have, and continue to, increase the provision of housing through...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Grant Payments (15 May 2025)

James Browne: My Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People scheme, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, which are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (15 May 2025)

James Browne: An Bord Pleanála (the Board) 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 Planning and Development Act 2024, includes a number of new provisions relating to An Bord...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: In July 2016, my Department invited local authorities to apply for funding under the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF), the objective of which is to provide public off-site infrastructure to relieve critical infrastructure blockages. The types of infrastructure being provided include roads, bridges, diversion of power-lines, drainage works, as well as public amenities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (15 May 2025)

James Browne: Increasing supply is key to addressing homelessness. Government is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social, affordable and cost rental homes at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment which is being provided for the delivery of Housing in 2025, with overall capital funding available...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: Government is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social, affordable and cost rental homes at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment which is being provided for the delivery of Housing in 2025, with overall capital funding available of €6.8 billion. The capital provision is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Planning Framework (15 May 2025)

James Browne: On 20 June 2023, Government gave approval to commence the process of undertaking the First Revision of the National Planning Framework. The National Planning Framework (NPF), is the whole-of-Government strategy for strategic planning and sustainable development of our urban and rural areas to 2040, with the core objectives of securing balanced regional development and a sustainable...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Harbours and Piers (15 May 2025)

James Browne: Waterways Ireland is the North South Body responsible for the management and maintenance of more than 1000km of Ireland's inland waterways including the river Shannon, the Shannon Erne Waterway, Erne System, the Barrow, the Royal and Grand Canals and the Lower Bann Navigation. Waterways Ireland is funded by my Department and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Works...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: My Department does not provide allocations to Local Authorities for social housing. Rather funding is provided in respect of the ongoing funding commitments arising on social housing projects such as new builds, turnkeys and regeneration. This means that the greater the level of social housing delivery the greater the level of funding my Department provides. In respect of refurbishments...