Results 7,681-7,700 of 8,153 for speaker:James Browne

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

James Browne: Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), I, as Minister, am specifically precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or the Board is or may be concerned.

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 321, 322 and 323 together. While my Department has a role in strategic workforce planning within the local government sector, Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Marine Protected Areas (19 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Marine Protected Areas Bill is at an advanced stage of drafting. It is intended to finalise this draft as soon as possible. However the Bill will need revision to reflect new Ministerial responsibilities and transfers of functions between Departments once these have taken place. It should be noted that, in the context of this forthcoming transfer of the marine environment function...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 325 and 326 together. The Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) and the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) are the two main grant schemes provided by my Department for the repair and conservation of protected structures and certain other historic buildings. Both schemes are administered in the main by the local authorities with funding from the National...

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

James Browne: Staff in my Department are employed on a full-time basis. A small number of staff elect to work on a less than 100% attendance pattern - commonly referred to as ‘Worksharing’. Worksharers may revert to a 100% pattern should they so choose. The table below shows staff numbers and percentages from 2022 to date. Year FTE 100% Attendance Pattern ...

Legislative and Structural Reforms to Accelerate Housing Delivery: Motion [Private Members] (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I thank colleagues for all their important contributions here today. I echo the comments made by the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, earlier and reassert this Government's commitment and determination to tackle the challenges in housing. Housing is a cross-sectoral challenge that has a real impact on people's lives. Our goal remains a housing system that serves the needs of our people....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Regulations (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Planning and Development Regulations 2001 transpose, and include, the classes of development requiring environmental impact assessment, or screening for environmental impact assessment, that are listed in Annex I and Annex II of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive. The Directive specifies projects which, by virtue of their nature, size or location, are likely to have...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wild Fires (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 and 110 together. 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 the fire...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department collects and publishes programme-level statistics on affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and delivery partners in each local authority area. Data for the years 2022 up to Q4 2024 is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 113 together. The Programme for Government commits to the introduction of a new voids programme, to include mandatory voids frameworks for local authorities so as to improve turnaround time of vacant local authority housing stock. Work is underway in this regard within the statutory framework set out in section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, which...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provided for the development of a deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). However, significant changes have taken place in the rental market since this legislation was passed. It should be noted that, unlike many other jurisdictions examined, Ireland already has a well-established quasi-judicial dispute...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities to administer the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, which support older and disabled people living in private houses to adapt their home to meet their needs. The suite of grants, which include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 117 together. CAS funding of €2.1 million was provided to Approved Housing Bodies for the provision of 10 units of accommodation for careleavers in 2024. Care leaver accommodation is provided as a specific category under CAS, especially for those who have complex needs and are in danger of falling into homelessness with housing solutions...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Savings Schemes (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Government committed in January 2025 to introduce an all of government national housing plan to follow Housing for All, underpinned by a multi-annual funding commitment. As part of this, all Departments have been examining actions to further enable both the delivery and viability of housing. One of these areas has been an initial examination and consideration of whether and how a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Programme (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Residential Tenancies (No. 3) Bill 2024 was published on 24 July 2024, taking account of the Report of Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage on its Pre Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Bill. The Bill lapsed on 8 November 2024 upon the dissolution of the 33rd Dáil: www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2024/63/.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) replaced An Bord Pleanála on 18 June 2025 as 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 2024, and certain other Acts. ACP has been working to address the backlog of cases...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Issues (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Water Action Plan 2024 published by my Department sets out a roadmap to restore Ireland’s water bodies (rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters) to ‘good status’ or better and to protect water from any further deterioration as required under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Currently there are 448 water bodies that are at risk of not achieving their...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Housing Schemes (24 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I refer to my reply to Question No. 310 of 19 June 2025 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Rental Sector (24 Jun 2025)

James Browne: Section 24 of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2025 (the RTA) defines 'market rent', in relation to the tenancy of a dwelling, to mean 'the rent which a willing tenant not already in occupation would give and a willing landlord would take for the dwelling, in each case on the basis of vacant possession being given, and having regard to— (a) the other terms of the tenancy, and ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Meetings (24 Jun 2025)

James Browne: As noted in my reply to Question No. 614 of 8 April 2025, I met with the Acting CEO of Gas Networks Ireland on 4 March 2025. While I have no immediate plans to meet the Acting CEO in the near future, officials of my Department maintain ongoing and appropriate contact with Gas Networks Ireland.