Results 9,041-9,060 of 9,174 for speaker:James Browne

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

James Browne: The qualification criteria for social housing support are set down in Section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. A household may apply for social housing support to one local authority only, which may be the authority for the area in which the household normally resides or with which it has a local...

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

James Browne: The Government's commitment to a new Starter Home programme has affordability, and the chance to own a home, at its core. Implementation of the programme will be advanced in a new national housing plan. While this work is being undertaken, the measures and schemes in Housing for All continue to advance delivery of secure and affordable housing. Affordable housing schemes are now operating...

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

James Browne: Supporting individuals and families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness is a priority for my Department and Government. Increased supply is key to addressing homelessness, meeting need and addressing the challenges in the housing market. Government is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social, affordable and cost rental homes at scale and to...

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

James Browne: Supporting families and individuals experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness is a priority for Government. Critical to addressing homelessness is increasing the supply of housing. Budget 2026 has continued the record level of investment in social housing, with €2.9bn in capital allocated to support the delivery of social homes by local authorities. This continued...

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

James Browne: Dublin City Council (DCC) and The Land Development Agency (LDA) have entered into a partnership to develop Phases 2 and 3 of the Dolphin House Estate Regeneration Project, a major residential construction project in Dublin 8. Collectively, Phase 2 and Phase 3 will deliver over 600 social and affordable homes and complete the regeneration at Dolphin House Estate, which will replace the...

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

James Browne: Government continues to maintain a strong focus on the use of vacant and underutilised state owned and public land for housing, having agreed the transfer of 37 sites to the Land Development Agency (LDA) for the development of affordable and social housing.  Housing construction is already underway on four sites and planning applications have been granted or lodged in the case of 7...

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

James Browne: I am satisfied there is adequate scope within the original €325 million budget, coupled with the flexibility to enter into commitments that might only materialise in 2026, to support all acquisitions that can be contractually completed and drawn down by local authorities before the end of this year. Accordingly, where local authorities have indicated to my Department that they are...

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

James Browne: Addressing vacancy and dereliction is a key priority for Government. The Vacant Homes Action Plan, published in January 2023, set out the various actions being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes across the country, including Kildare. In March, I published the 2025 Progress Report which shows the significant progress that is being made and it is available on my...

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

James Browne: Social Housing is delivered through a range of Local Authority and Approved Housing Body (AHB) delivery programmes. Capital expenditure on the delivery of new social homes is also supported by current funding provided through the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP). In respect of Affordable Housing delivery, Housing for All provides for a number of important affordability...

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

James Browne: The Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ (CRTiS) scheme was introduced on 1 April 2023 for tenants in private rental homes who are not in receipt of social housing supports but are at risk of homelessness because a landlord has served a valid Notice of Termination due to an intention to sell the property. The Local Authority conducts the initial assessment for eligibility of the tenant for this...

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

James Browne: A commitment was included under Housing for All to develop a roadmap to implement minimum Building Energy Rating (BER) standards, where feasible, for the private rental sector. This work supports the objectives set down in the Government’s Climate Action Plan. My Department is committed to improving energy efficiency in the rental market and work in this area is being informed by...

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

James Browne: Consistent with the provisions in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is considered to be a social housing support and consequently households in receipt of a payment under the HAP scheme are not eligible to remain on the main housing waiting list. However, acknowledging that some households on the waiting list, who avail of HAP, have...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Development (8 Oct 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: Homeless Persons Supports (9 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 local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities. While...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Addressing homelessness, and in particular homeless families and children, is a priority for my Department and for the Government. Critical to supporting households to exit homelessness is our continued investment in the social housing programme. Budget 2026 has continued the record level of investment in social housing, with €2.9bn in capital allocated to support the delivery of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such rent schemes is generally a matter for local authorities within broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’ ability to pay. Local discretion and flexibility are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Postal Voting (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Electoral law provides for postal voting for a number of different categories of people: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 go in person to vote because of illness or a disability,electors whose occupation, service or employment makes it likely...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The engagement of external consultants is generally for a limited time period to carry out a specific finite task or set of tasks that involve expert skills or capabilities that would not normally be available within my Department. As these skills are only required from time to time, it would generally not be efficient to retain them within my Department on a permanent basis. Due to the range...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, all local authorities prepare and submit a written report to their members by 30 April in each year, on allocations made under their allocation schemes in the preceding year. However, following the implementation of the Housing for All action to review available social housing allocation data sources, my Department commenced collecting...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Equipment (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: My Department does not comment on operational security matters as it would be inappropriate to disclose information that may in any way assist those with malicious intent. I can say however that my Department operates processes and procedures to manage assets and that lost or stolen devices are managed appropriately. My Department also continues to work closely with the National Cyber...