Results 6,361-6,380 of 7,384 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (19 Feb 2025)

James Browne: Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant introduced in July 2022, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. A top-up...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (19 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (19 Feb 2025)

James Browne: In December 2023, Minister O'Brien approved funding for a number of projects including in the villages of Broadford and Cooraclare, under my Department's Multi-annual Rural Water Programme for the waste water collection and treatment needs for villages without access to public waste water services. Following the approval of funding my Department wrote directly to each local authority...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 Feb 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 grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, which are funded by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The Cost Rental Equity Loan funding Scheme is available to Approved Housing Bodies to provide affordable rented accommodation to those who meet the income eligibility requirements for cost rental homes. The nature of the Cost Rental model means that Cost Rental homes are advertised and made available at a certain rent level, which is needed to cover the costs of delivery and provision. Cost...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) Scheme is the main funding source for the Approved Housing Body sector to provide social housing in Ireland. As at 17 February 2025, the number of CALF applications under consideration by my Department was forty two. As with all Exchequer-supported projects, my Department, as approving authority, assesses each project application for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (19 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) Scheme is the main funding source for the Approved Housing Body (AHB) sector to provide social housing in Ireland. Pursuant to Housing for All, targets for AHB delivery of social housing units are contained in Local Authority Housing Delivery Action Plans. Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) funding is available to AHBs to provide affordable rented...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Compulsory Purchase Orders (19 Feb 2025)

James Browne: While local authorities are empowered under a number of statutes to acquire land, by agreement or compulsorily, for the purposes of performing any of its functions, the number of derelict sites acquired within their functional area under the provisions of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 (the Act) are submitted to my Department as part of their annual return on the operation of the Act. The number...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (19 Feb 2025)

James Browne: Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government, as set out in Pathway 4 of Housing for All. Data in relation to vacant properties is available from a number of sources such as Census and GeoDirectory publications. More recently the CSO has developed an indicator of residential vacancy using electricity consumption data and my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (19 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The origin of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in Ireland is as philanthropic bodies of the nineteenth and twentieth century which built housing for the then working classes. The role of AHBs has been increasingly recognised in national housing policy documents. The publication of the Housing Policy Statement in 2011 committed to expand the role of the AHB sector. This policy intention...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Flexible Work Practices (19 Feb 2025)

James Browne: My Department launched its blended working policy in June 2022, based on the centrally agreed blended working Framework. A phased rollout of blended working arrangements took place from September 2022 to March 2023. Staff with suitable roles, performance and remote workstations are eligible to apply for blended working. The current blended working model is 3 days per week in the office...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (20 Feb 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take questions Nos. 230, 247, 248, 259 and 260 together. The Tenant in Situ Acquisitions Programme was introduced by way of Government decision in 2023. It was originally intended 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (20 Feb 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take questions Nos. 231 and 232 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 new scheme is now open to applications in five counties: Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Mayo and Sligo with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (20 Feb 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 Housing Agency acts as agent on behalf of the local authorities under the grant scheme. Once a home has met the damage threshold for entry to the scheme, the Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (20 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ (CRTiS) scheme was introduced on 1 April 2023 for tenants in private rental homes who are not in receipt of social housing supports but are at risk of homelessness because a landlord has served a valid Notice of Termination due to an intention to sell the property. The Local Authority conducts the initial assessment for eligibility of the tenant for this...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (20 Feb 2025)

James Browne: My Department provides funding to local authorities under the Disabled Persons Grants scheme to carry out works on social housing stock to address the needs of older people, people with a disability or overcrowded situations. Typical works include adaptations such as stair-lifts, level deck showers, ramps and grab rails, widening door opening widths and improving circulation spaces....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (20 Feb 2025)

James Browne: Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government, as set out in Pathway 4 of Housing for All. Vacancy is a complex issue and there are a number of reasons why properties may become vacant or derelict. The findings of Census 2022 provided a range of such reasons, including that the previous owner is deceased, is living with relatives,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (20 Feb 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 2023, is available on my Department's website at The report shows that there were 967 households qualified for social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Protection (20 Feb 2025)

James Browne: Wildlife crime is a very serious issue, which may encompass breaches of national, European and international legislation that protects wildlife species. Combatting wildlife crime is a core mandate of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in its mission to ‘protect nature’. That is why a dedicated Wildlife Crime Directorate was established in NPWS to address wildlife...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (20 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The Ready to Build Scheme, funded by the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, to support addressing vacancy, was launched in September 2022. Under the Scheme, local authorities make vacant serviced sites in towns and villages available to potential individual purchasers to build a home. Under the scheme, local authorities identify suitable sites in their ownership or purchase sites in towns...