Results 7,921-7,940 of 8,153 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (1 Jul 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. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: An Coimisiún Pleanála 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 2024, the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) and certain other Acts. Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Meetings (1 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department is currently engaging with potential stakeholder groups that will be invited to participate in a soon-to-be established Countryside Forum for Nature. The purpose of this Forum is to engage with, and to take on board the views of, a cross section of relevant and appropriate stakeholder interests. Once the membership of the Forum...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Legislation (1 Jul 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: Local Authorities (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The local authority Development Plan is the principal planning strategy document which sets out the relevant policies and objectives to guide the physical development of each city and county over a six-year period and is required to be consistent with the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the relevant Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy. The Revised NPF was approved by Government...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Issues (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Waterways Ireland is a North South Implementation Body established under the British Irish Agreement of 10 April 1998. It is funded by my Department and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The detailed information requested in relation to the proposal to extend the Shannon Navigation from Lough Allen to Dowra is not held in my Department. However, arrangements have been...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The oversight and practical management of housing waiting lists, including the allocation and transfer of tenancies, is a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and associated regulations. Decisions on the qualification of households for social housing support, the most appropriate form of such support, and the allocation of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Conservation (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Corncrake LIFE is a five year (2021-2026) €5.9m project improving the conservation status of one of Ireland’s most iconic farmland bird species. Led by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department, in collaboration with project partners, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Fota Wildlife Park, Atlantic Technological University and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wild Fires (2 Jul 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 the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: In line with a commitment in Housing for All, a review of the Private Rental Market was undertaken by my Department and published in July 2024. One of its recommendations was that a comprehensive examination of the current RPZ system should be undertaken. The key focus of the review, which was undertaken by the Housing Agency, was to assess the operation of Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs)...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: There is currently no such obligation on any party, namely, Landlords, Local Authorities or Tenants to engage with the tenant-in-situ scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: While the Planning and Development Act 2024 (Act of 2024) was enacted in October 2024, it is in the process of being commenced. The provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (Act of 2000), and associated Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (Regulations 2001) remain in force until the relevant sections of the Act of 2024 are commenced and the corresponding sections...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The local authority Development Plan is the principal planning strategy document to guide the physical development of each city and county over a six-year period. The relevant statutory provisions governing the preparation, adoption and variation of development plans are currently primarily found in sections 9 to 13 of Planning and Development Act 2000. Section 9(1) of the Act requires...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The First Home Scheme, which launched in July 2022, is a shared equity scheme, designed to help bridge the gap for eligible first-time buyers, eligible homebuyers, and self-builders, between their deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home (within price ceilings established across the country). Full details are available on the First Home Scheme website, www.firsthomescheme.ie. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: An Coimisiún Pleanála 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 2024, the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. There is sanction in place for up to 313 posts at An...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The Land Development Agency (LDA) was established with a focus on managing the State’s lands to develop new homes and regenerate underutilised sites. The Agency has also been tasked with unlocking stalled, private, planning-consented developments in the shorter-term through Project Tosaigh, its market engagement initiative. The LDA is targeting 8,000 new homes over the course of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (2 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The Mortgage Allowance scheme provides for an allowance of up to €11,450 payable over a 5-year period, to tenants or tenant purchasers of local authority housing, to assist them to purchase or have a private house built with a mortgage. The current rates are underpinned by the Housing (Mortgage Allowance) Regulations 2001 and have been in place since 1 January 2002. New...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Ireland (3 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Waterways Ireland is a North South Implementation Body established under the British Irish Agreement of 10 April 1998. It is funded by my Department and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland as Sponsor Departments. Delegated expenditure limits for the body have been agreed by the Sponsor Departments, the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland and the Department of Public...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (3 Jul 2025)

James Browne: 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 48” development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Commission (3 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Section 23 of the Local Government Act 2001 empowers the Minister to divide a local authority area into local electoral areas and to amend those areas. However, in advance of deciding to make an order under section 23 of the 2001 Act, the Minister must, in accordance with section 32(2) of the Local Government Act 1991, request An Coimisiún Toghcháin to prepare a report having regard...