Results 7,021-7,040 of 7,384 for speaker:James Browne

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1154, 1227 and 1247 together. On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs, including the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section...

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

James Browne: The Single Scheme is a statutory Public Service Career-Average Defined Benefit Pension Scheme. It was established on 1 January 2013 under the Public Service Pensions (single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012. The provisions of the Single Scheme are clearly set out in law and were enacted on 28 July 2012. All new-entrant public servants hired after 1 January 2013 are members of the...

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

James Browne: The Cessation of Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme (CTCCS) was launched in 2011 as an annual payment scheme, from date of legal cessation for 15 years, for households affected by the restriction on turf cutting on raised bog Special Areas of Conservation. It was later extended to include raised bog Natural Heritage Areas. The Scheme is comprised of a payment of €1,500 per annum,...

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

James Browne: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties...

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

James Browne: Under the Derelict Sites Act 1990, local authorities are required to maintain a Derelict Sites Register, which includes the name and address of each owner and occupier, where these can be ascertained by reasonable enquiry, of any land which, in the opinion of the local authority, is a derelict site. A property can be placed on the Derelict Site Register where it is deemed by a local...

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

James Browne: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Act, 1981 & 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

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

James Browne: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts 1981 & 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing the...

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

James Browne: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts 1981 & 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing the...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1171, 1221 and 1359 together. 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 NPF published in 2018) there have been important changes to our planning system. Most notably, obligations under European Directives and...

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

James Browne: It is strictly a matter for the Local Authority to manage Social Housing Allocations, assess the condition of Local Authority stock and carry out necessary refurbishment works. Dun Laoghaire - Rathdown County Council (DLR) has advised that Holly Park was purchased in 2024 in order to prevent 12 families from becoming homeless. A visual survey was conducted by the Council in 2023 prior to...

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

James Browne: Coursing events are monitored by staff of the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department, where possible, to ensure that conditions of the licences issued are being met. Below is a table showing the number of coursing meetings monitored by NPWS staff over the past four seasons: Year Number Monitored by NPWS 2024/2025 45...

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

James Browne: The law governing the use of traps is mainly set down in section 34 of the Wildlife Act 1976 (as amended) and an associated Regulation - the Wildlife Act 1976 (Approved Traps, Snares and Nets) Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 620/2003). I can confirm that the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department has been informed of the matter and will conduct an investigation in relation to the...

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

James Browne: There is no evidence of pregnant hares being present at the Balbriggan/Trim coursing meeting. It is understood that the Question may relate to two young hares which were seen in the vicinity of the coursing field and were captured by the Coursing Club. These young hares were not coursed and they were released with the main cohort of hares under National Parks and Wildlife & Irish...

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

James Browne: Licences for the capture and tagging of hares are issued to the Irish Coursing Club (ICC), which is a body set up under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 and hare coursing is administered by them. Statutory responsibility for the Act resides with the Minster for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Licences issued by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department include a...

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

James Browne: Responsibility for the delivery of the housing targets set under Housing for All rests with individual local authorities, which identify the social housing need in their administrative area and are best placed to make decisions on potential sites for development. It is therefore a matter for individual local authorities to identify suitable sites and bring forward proposals in line with the...

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

James Browne: The functions of my Department are broad and complex, and following Government formation earlier this year, there is now an additional Minister of State assigned to the Department. We are also working collaboratively with other Government Departments on Transfers of Functions. The process of assessing which specific functions and responsibilities are to be assigned to each of the...

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

James Browne: The zoning of land for particular purposes, including housing, is an exercise undertaken by planning authorities as part of their overall statutory plan function generally as part of a development plan under sections 9 to 13 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended), but can at present also be carried out as part of a local area plan (LAP) process. The making of a development...

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

James Browne: Following a recommendation made in a review of the Irish private rental sector published by my Department in July 2024, the Housing Agency was commissioned to undertake a review of the current system of rent controls using Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs). My Department received this report on 28 April 2025. I will be considering the report and will bring proposals to Government in due course as...