Results 7,441-7,460 of 8,138 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Compulsory Purchase Orders (28 May 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: Water Quality (28 May 2025)

James Browne: The introduction of any specific compensation schemes, is primarily an operational matter for Uisce Éireann, operating under the regulatory oversight of the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU). As Minister, I have no function in such operational matters. Uisce Éireann has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Policy (28 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 261, 270 and 281 together. The Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) aims to retrofit a local authority home to a minimum BER rating of B2. It is expected that 36,500 local authority owned homes will be retrofitted under this programme out to 2030. €90m is available to the programme in 2025 to upgrade approximately 2,500 homes. The table...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Policy (28 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 262, 263 and 271 together. 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. As of April 2025, there were...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Policy (28 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 264, 265 and 266 together. There are currently 38 Biodiversity Officers in place across 29 of the 31 local authorities. The remaining two local authorities currently without a Biodiversity Officer (Cork County Council and South Dublin County Council) are currently at an advanced stage in the recruitment process. Of the Biodiversity Officers currently in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Policy (28 May 2025)

James Browne: Under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he/she is responsible. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end, my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Policy (28 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 268 and 269 together. The works eligible under my Department's revised Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme include attic/cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation where required, windows and doors replacement, heat pump installation and ancillary and associated works. These funded measures achieve a minimum B2 BER rating. My Department does not...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (28 May 2025)

James Browne: The capital allocation to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) for 2025 is €44 million. If this allocation were to be increased by 25% per annum over a five-year period, the projected capital funding would be as follows:Year 1 (2026) - €55 millionYear 2 (2027) - €69 millionYear 3 (2028) - €86 millionYear 4 (2029) - €107 millionYear 5 (2030) -...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (28 May 2025)

James Browne: The information requested is set out in the table below and refers to the staff serving in the NPWS at the end of April 2025. The estimated increase in pay costs is based on a combination of salary and the employers’ PRSI charge, and does not include any potential costs arising from allowances or overtime payments. Grade Stream Grade FTE Headcount ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Energy Rating (28 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 274 and 279 together. Under the 2025 Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme, my Department will fund costs of up to €48,850 plus project management fees, on individual local authority homes. The actual cost of retrofitting works on each home will depend on its pre-works BER. The programme calls for local authorities to retrofit a variety of house...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (28 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 275 and 276 together. The Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF) operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department provides funding to assist local authorities with the implementation of projects that promote actions in the 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan. Projects supported through this fund cover a range of biodiversity...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Energy Rating (28 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 277, 278 and 280 together. The Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) aims to retrofit a local authority home to a BER of B2. It is expected that 36,500 local authority owned homes will be retrofitted under this programme out to 2030. An annualised breakdown of the total funding provided and the number of properties upgraded, including those homes...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (29 May 2025)

James Browne: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by Tailte Éireann under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2020. Tailte Éireann has responsibility for valuation matters, including the revaluation of properties. Tailte Éireann is independent in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (29 May 2025)

James Browne: The Water Action Plan 2024 published by my Department sets out a roadmap to restore Ireland’s water bodies to ‘good status’ or better and to protect water from any further deterioration. In some instances, water bodies have been physically modified in the past to serve a beneficial specified use to society such as; a drinking water abstraction, a hydroelectric scheme, a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Conservation (29 May 2025)

James Browne: The National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department is currently undertaking an important project to update wildlife legislation. This includes the Wildlife Act 1976, the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000, the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 and significant regulations made under these provisions. The project is examining closely the effectiveness of our...

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

James Browne: The identification and assessment of potential sites for housing projects, is a matter for the relevant local authority (in this case South Dublin County Council), having regard to such factors as the suitability of the site and local housing need. My Department will consider any development proposal from South Dublin County Council in respect of the site in question in line with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (29 May 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 detailed operation of the Scheme is a matter for the designated local authorities in the first instance and their role is set out clearly in the 2022 Act. Local...

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

James Browne: Local authorities have been making productive use of turnkey development opportunities to achieve delivery of new social housing since the commencement of Housing for All. Under the procurement arrangements that apply to such transactions, an initial 10% is usually paid as a deposit and the balance of the funding is provided on completion and delivery of the housing units in a 'turnkey'...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Community Development Projects (29 May 2025)

James Browne: A flagship element of Project Ireland 2040, the €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is supporting a programme of significant transformational capital projects that will contribute to the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland’s cities and other large towns, in line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social Welfare Benefits (29 May 2025)

James Browne: A key principle of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is that eligible households source their own accommodation in the private rental market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned. Since 11 July 2022, each local authority has statutory discretion to...