Results 81-100 of 7,142 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: My Department does not hold any contracts with the company referenced.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual local authorities. To assist in ensuring that homeless services provided are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1218 and 1219 together. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) provides detailed data available on a number of planning related matters, including permissions granted by development type and county, on its website. This is updated on a quarterly basis and can be accessed at the following link: www.cso.ie/en/statistics/buildingandconstruction/planningper...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (29 Apr 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 specific information requested is not held by my Department. Arrangements have been put in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: Reply not received from Department.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Data Centres (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: Lead policy responsibility for the development of data centres as core digital infrastructure is held by my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. My Department engages on an ongoing basis with the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment with regard to the development of planning policy and legislation which is of relevance to data centre development, including,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: My Department did not issue funding allocations to local authorities for second-hand acquisitions activity in 2024, rather each local authority was provided with an initial allocation for the number of acquisitions to be supported. For 2025 I have made €325 million available to our local authorities for their social housing second-hand acquisitions activity. The allocation of this...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Regulations (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: National policy in relation to the provision of access to national roads is set out in the Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2012) which were issued by the Minister under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. Section 28 requires that planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála shall have regard to Ministerial guidelines in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (29 Apr 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: Departmental Regulations (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: Local authorities will implement a range of powers available under planning, building control and other relevant legislation in an integrated way and will work pro-actively with developers, receivers, financial institutions and local communities in securing satisfactory resolutions for unfinished housing developments. Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: Tenant in Situ acquisitions were introduced by way of Government decision in 2023 as a short term response to the reported uplift in sales by landlords of homes which were within the HAP and RAS schemes, in order to prevent potential homelessness where other solutions could not be found for the affected tenants. A further Government decision extended such acquisitions into 2024 with approval...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: The 2005 Disability Act sets out the legal obligations of public body employers in relation to the employment of people with disabilities. Along with promoting and supporting people with disabilities, public bodies are also obliged to meet a 4.5% target of employees with disabilities. The target increased to 6% in 2025. The Disability Census Form provided to all new entrants in my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1277, 1278, 1279 and 1280 together. While the priority for my Department in respect of Social Housing is the construction of new build social homes, my Department continues to provide financial support to local authorities to acquire second-hand properties for social housing purposes for agreed priority categories of need, including tenants-in-situ who...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: The current cycle of my Department's Multi-annual Rural Water Programme (MARWP) covering the period to 2026 was launched in 2024. Almost 900 applications for funding for individual projects were received from local authorities across the country. Mayo County Council submitted a number of applications for the scheme stated in the details including one application to fund a project under...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: In order for a household to qualify for 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. Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: Guidelines on inter-authority movement were issued to local authorities to facilitate the movement of Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) households from one local authority area to another in cases where a HAP tenant wishes to access rented accommodation, with HAP support, in another local authority area. Inter authority movement is, however, subject to certain conditions, such as the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: Consistent with the provisions in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is considered to be a social housing support and consequently households in receipt of a payment under the HAP scheme are not eligible to remain on the main housing waiting list. However, acknowledging that some households on the waiting list, who avail of HAP, may...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all eligible households throughout the State. Under HAP, a tenant sources their own accommodation in the private rented market. The tenancy agreement is between the tenant and the landlord and is governed by the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended. HAP supported tenancies are afforded...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: Under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) up to 100% Capital funding is provided to AHBs to provide new social homes for priority categories to include homeless, disability and age friendly housing. Capital Assistance funding provided to a local authority is dependent on the specific proposals proposed by the local authority, in conjunction with relevant approved housing body (AHB), and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (29 Apr 2025)

James Browne: Since taking office in the Department on 23 January I have attended scores of meetings, both internal and external, with departmental staff, stakeholders, NGOs, other Departments and Ministers, including Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings. In addition to attending meetings, I have been building knowledge of the vast remit of my Department, the various priority work areas, and considering...