Results 141-160 of 9,077 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 283 and 284 together. A standard procedure for assessing applicants for social housing was introduced in every local authority on 1 April 2011, through the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribed maximum net income limits for eligibility for social housing supports in each local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: As part of Housing for All, a review of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) was undertaken to evaluate the functioning of the scheme in relation to its established objectives and to ascertain what future direction the scheme might take. A Review of the future of the Rental Accommodation Scheme was published in January 2025 and was circulated to all local authorities. It is available at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 286 to 289, inclusive, together. 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 Appeals Panel has been established to assess appeals made under the Remediation of Dwellings...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 293 and 306 together. The Government is fully committed to delivering affordable housing at scale, and is continuing to accelerate housing supply across all tenures. A comprehensive implementation strategy is in place to support the various affordable housing schemes now being delivered by a range of delivery partners. Since the launch of Housing for All,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Compulsory Purchase Orders (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 294 to 296, inclusive, together. Addressing vacancy and dereliction is a key priority for Government. The Vacant Homes Action Plan, published in January 2023, set out the various actions being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. In March, I published the 2025 Progress Report which shows the significant progress that is being...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Grant Payments (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: My Department provides grant funding for adaptations of dwellings 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 Aid for Older People Grant,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 301 and 302 together. The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, is a matter for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Furthermore, the standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) was established on 1 February 2021 with the over-arching role to provide regulation of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the purposes of protecting housing assets provided or managed by such bodies. One of the functions of AHBRA is to collect and publish information (including statistical information on the number of dwellings in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: My colleague Minister Foley, Minister for Children, Disability and Equality is responsible for matters relating to the Irish Refugee Protection Programme and coordinating across Government Ireland's international obligations in this area and resettlement and integration objectives. As social housing support is intended to address a household’s long-term housing need it is expected...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Programme for Government commits to establishing a new procedure for large developments where Developers can meet with local authority planners and Uisce Éireann on site to iron out issues at pre-planning stage. My Department has commenced discussions with Uisce Éireann in the first instance on the implementation of this commitment, with a view to engaging with the local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the current grant scheme and the related Regulations were adopted on 29 June 2023. The 2022 Act sets out the role of the Housing Agency which act as agents on behalf of the local authorities under the terms of the Scheme. Determinations made by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The Act also provides for the Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Social Homes Scheme. This is a scheme for the purpose of enabling a designated local authority or an Approved...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Approved Housing Body Strategic Forum (AHBSF), established in December 2023, undertook a comprehensive review of the AHB sector throughout 2024, in line with commitments under Housing for All. The Forum was mandated to consult key stakeholders in order to develop a vision for the evolution of the sector over a 10yr+ time horizon, and to identify the principals and reforms that would...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: As provided for in Section 4 of the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) 2019 (the Act), a review of the effectiveness and operation of the Act shall take place not later than 6 months after a period of 5 years from the establishment of the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA). AHBRA was established in February 2021, my Department is currently considering the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: My Department currently supports a programme of large-scale regeneration projects in Limerick, Dublin and Cork. These regeneration projects target the most disadvantaged communities, and seek to address the challenges within these communities through a holistic programme of physical, social and economic regeneration. The Limerick Regeneration Framework Implementation Plan was adopted by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, is a matter for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure all their tenanted properties are compliant with the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Project Díon is a large scale digital transformation project being led by my Department with relevant stakeholders (including the local authorities) to introduce more streamlined, efficient and automated processes and enhanced reporting capabilities across over 30 housing programmes. This very significant strategic digital transformation project will take years to fully implement....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (7 Oct 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 local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: An Interim Remediation Scheme (‘Scheme’) has been in place since December 2023, to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings pending introduction of the Statutory Scheme and completion of the full remedial works. The Scheme is for the funding of emergency fire safety defect works in apartments and duplexes constructed between 1991 and 2013. As of the end of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I recently secured an additional €50 million on foot of the recently concluded National Development Plan discussions to expand the social housing Second Hand Acquisitions Programme for 2025, bringing the budget available to €375 million for the year. This funding is ring-fenced and separate from any allocation provided generally under the Second-Hand Acquisitions Programme and...