Results 8,781-8,800 of 9,174 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Process (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Electoral law provides for postal voting for a number of different categories of people. These are: whole-time members of the Defence Forces, members of An Garda Síochána, Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses/civil partners, electors living at home who are unable to vote because of an illness or a disability, electors whose occupation, service or employment...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 384 to 386, inclusive, together. The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2025 (the RTA) regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The RTA apply to every dwelling that is the subject of a tenancy, subject to a limited number of exceptions. The dwellings to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: One of the objectives of Housing for All was to wind down long term leasing from the end of 2025, which has been reflected through gradually reducing long term leasing delivery targets over the recent past, culminating in a target of just 200 for 2025. This objective does not include all types of long term leasing; it excludes the Mortgage to Rent scheme and Repair and Lease. While there is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (23 Sep 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 grant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) commenced on 22 June 2023 and contains the grant scheme and the related Regulations, which were adopted on 29 June 2023. A review mechanism is provided within the Act, which provides for an increase or decrease in the overall grant scheme cap a year after the Act has been commenced by no more...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Process (23 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Article 12 of the Constitution sets out the basic provisions in relation to the office of President. Article 4 2° states that “every candidate for election, not a former or retiring President, must be nominated either by (i) not less than twenty persons, each of whom is at the time a member of one of the Houses of the Oireachtas, or (ii) by the Councils of not less than four...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (23 Sep 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: Political Funding (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Electoral Act 1997 (as amended) provides the statutory framework for dealing with political financing and sets out the regulatory regime covering a wide range of inter-related issues such as the funding of political parties; the reimbursement of election expenses; the establishment of election expenditure limits; the disclosure of election expenditure; the setting of limits on permissible...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Political Funding (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Electoral Act 1997 (as amended) provides the statutory framework for dealing with political financing and sets out the regulatory regime covering a wide range of inter-related issues such as, among other matters, the reimbursement of election expenses; the establishment of election expenditure limits; the disclosure of election expenditure; as well as the acceptance and disclosure of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (25 Sep 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 2022 Act sets out the role of the Housing Agency which acts as agent on behalf of the local authorities under the terms of the Scheme. As previously outlined the...

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

James Browne: The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, introduced in July 2022 under the Croí Cónaithe Towns umbrella, 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 grant of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be...

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

James Browne: The Cost Rental legislation, set out in Part 3 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021 and associated Regulations, does not require landlords to exclude from cost rental eligibility those who own a property. The legislation does, however, give Cost Rental landlords a significant degree of flexibility and discretion when advertising Cost Rental homes and accepting applications, in order to promote...

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

James Browne: As Minister for Housing, Local Government & Heritage, my role in relation to the planning system is, primarily, to provide a policy and legislative framework under which the planning authorities, including An Coimisiún Pleanála (the Commission) and the Office of the Planning Regulator (the OPR) perform their statutory planning functions. The Environmental Impact...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (25 Sep 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 enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The Act also provides for the Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Social Homes Scheme. This is a scheme for the purpose of enabling a designated local authority or an Approved...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: My Department keeps costs relating to the DCB Scheme under continuous review. Following updated cost reports from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) and advice from the Expert Group established to consider the matter, a further increase from the original grant rates set down in the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act),...

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

James Browne: Section 66 of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended) refers to the establishment of subsidiary companies by local authorities. Section 66(4)(i) provides that a local authority may “enter into such contracts and make such other arrangements (including the incorporation of one or more than one company) as the authority considers necessary or expedient either alone or jointly with...

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage: Motion (1 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I move: That Dáil Éireann: (1) approves the terms of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage done at Paris on the 6th November, 2001, a copy of which was laid before Dáil Éireann on 13th August, 2025, (2) approves the making of a Declaration under Article 28 of the said Convention that the Rules of the Annex to the Convention will...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Further Revised) (2 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I welcome the opportunity to discuss with the select committee my Department's Further Revised Estimate for 2025. I am joined by John Cummins TD, Minister of State with responsibility for local government and planning, and the following officials from my Department: Ms Marguerite Ryan, assistant secretary for corporate support; Mr. Paul Benson, assistant secretary for social housing...