Results 8,981-9,000 of 9,174 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Approved Housing Body Strategic Forum (AHBSF), established in December 2023, undertook a comprehensive review of the AHB sector throughout 2024, in line with commitments under Housing for All. The Forum was mandated to consult key stakeholders in order to develop a vision for the evolution of the sector over a 10yr+ time horizon, and to identify the principals and reforms that would...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: As provided for in Section 4 of the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) 2019 (the Act), a review of the effectiveness and operation of the Act shall take place not later than 6 months after a period of 5 years from the establishment of the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA). AHBRA was established in February 2021, my Department is currently considering the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: My Department currently supports a programme of large-scale regeneration projects in Limerick, Dublin and Cork. These regeneration projects target the most disadvantaged communities, and seek to address the challenges within these communities through a holistic programme of physical, social and economic regeneration. The Limerick Regeneration Framework Implementation Plan was adopted by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (7 Oct 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: Housing Provision (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Project Díon is a large scale digital transformation project being led by my Department with relevant stakeholders (including the local authorities) to introduce more streamlined, efficient and automated processes and enhanced reporting capabilities across over 30 housing programmes. This very significant strategic digital transformation project will take years to fully implement....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: An Interim Remediation Scheme (‘Scheme’) has been in place since December 2023, to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings pending introduction of the Statutory Scheme and completion of the full remedial works. The Scheme is for the funding of emergency fire safety defect works in apartments and duplexes constructed between 1991 and 2013. As of the end of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I recently secured an additional €50 million on foot of the recently concluded National Development Plan discussions to expand the social housing Second Hand Acquisitions Programme for 2025, bringing the budget available to €375 million for the year. This funding is ring-fenced and separate from any allocation provided generally under the Second-Hand Acquisitions Programme and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Artificial Intelligence (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The AIMSIR Centre (Artificial Intelligence for Meteorological Services, Innovation and Research) is a UCD-Met Éireann research initiative funded by Met Éireann’s Weather and Climate Research Programme. Its primary aim is to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science to advance Ireland’s capabilities in weather and climate services. The AIMSIR Centre was...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Services (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Storm Éowyn was named by the UK Met Office on Tuesday 21 January 2025, the fifth named storm of the 2024-25 windstorm season. Widespread red and orange weather warnings were issued across Ireland and the United Kingdom ahead of the rapidly strengthening storm. Ireland experienced one of its most damaging, dangerous and destructive weather events with gale force/storm force winds,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 325 to 328, inclusive, together. My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social and affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority. This data is available to the end of Q1 2025 and is published on the statistics page of my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (7 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 329 and 330 together. Local Property Tax (LPT) is administered and collected by the Revenue Commissioners and subsequently transferred into the Local Government Fund (LGF). The funds are ultimately redistributed, by my Department, to local authorities in accordance with the Government’s allocation policies. In overall terms, LPT broadens the tax...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Housing for All included a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, completed in November 2021, it was recommended moving five local authorities from Band 3 to Band 2, ensuring the income eligibility thresholds better reflect housing costs in those counties. Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The Act also provides for the Defective Concrete Blocks Social Homes Scheme. This is a scheme for the purpose of enabling a designated local authority or an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Supporting individuals and families at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness is a priority for Government. Critical to addressing homelessness is increasing the supply of housing. I have just agreed the largest ever Housing budget for 2026 with over €9bn in capital, including €5.2bn in Exchequer funding and €3.9bn in LDA and HFA investment. This record level of funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I visited Donegal earlier this year and understand the flood issue pertaining to Elm Park in Buncrana. Most of impacted homeowners have the option of availing of the Defective Concrete Block Scheme and the OPW intends to undertake flood relief works. The residents however are concerned about the length of time before those flood work would be completed and have asked that consideration be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: My Department has recently written to local authorities advising them of additional funding capacity and flexibility under the 2025 Second Hand Acquisitions Programme. This includes an additional €50 million secured on foot of the recently concluded National Development Plan discussions, bringing the funding available this year to €375 million. The additional funding is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Revised National Planning Framework (NPF) was finalised and approved by Government and the Oireachtas in April 2025. The Revised NPF strategy sets out the need to plan for a projected population of at least 6.1m people in Ireland by 2040. Taking into account ‘pent-up’ demand, the strategy sets out a need to plan for the delivery of approximately 50,000 additional housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Programme for Government commits to building on the successes of Housing for All and ramping up supply to deliver over 300,000 homes between 2025 and 2030. Supply has increased significantly in recent years, with 140,000 new homes delivered since July 2020. Some 92,400 of these were delivered between 2022 and 2024 inclusive, exceeding the combined target for the period by 5,400 or so....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 100 together. The Programme for Government commits to establishing a new procedure for large developments where Developers can meet with local authority planners and Uisce Éireann on site to iron out issues at preplanning stage. My Department has commenced discussions with Uisce Éireann in the first instance on the implementation of this...