Results 181-200 of 5,314 for speaker:James Browne in 'Written Answers'

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

James Browne: I refer to my reply to Question No. 257 (composite reply) of 26 June 2025, which clarifies the interaction between the operation of Rent Pressure Zones and the regulation of short term letting.

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

James Browne: The Water Action Plan 2024 published by my Department sets out a roadmap to restore Ireland’s water bodies to ‘good status’ or better and to protect water from any further deterioration. In some instances, water bodies have been physically modified in the past to serve a beneficial specified use to society. In the process of modifying a water body, the natural flow,...

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

James Browne: At present, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and his Department continue to have responsibility under the Multi Unit Development Act 2011, for the oversight of Owner Management Companies (OMCs) and related regulations. Under Housing for All, so as to ensure that OMCs are financially sustainable, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, in collaboration...

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

James Browne: The Planning and Development Act 2024 (Act of 2024) was enacted in October 2024 and 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 of 2001) remain in force until the relevant sections of the Act of 2024 are commenced and the corresponding sections of...

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

James Browne: My Department operates a decentralised procurement model, where procurement and contract management is the responsibility of the budget holder, who is usually the head of the business unit. The heads of those eighty-one business units are responsible for ensuring compliance with my Department's Procurement Policy and all applicable national and EU rules and regulations and Office of...

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

James Browne: As part of the process for identifying land liable to Residential Zoned Land Tax, all Local authorities published annual draft maps on 1 February 2024 that identified lands considered to fall within the scope of the tax, as well as lands which they propose to exclude from the annual final maps for 2025. Landowners and other interested parties had until 1 April 2024 to make a submission to...

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

James Browne: The Government is providing continuing and substantial financial support to local authorities to acquire second-hand properties for priority categories of need, including tenants-in-situ who have been in receipt of supports under HAP or RAS and who had received a Notice of Termination. For 2025, Government has increased the funding available for second hand social housing acquisitions...

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

James Browne: My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards these costs. Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988 sets out the purposes for which costs may be incurred by local authorities in respect of the provision of homeless accommodation and related services. Under the funding arrangements, my Department recoups up to 90% of the costs of...

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

James Browne: Uisce Éireann has a statutory borrowing limit of €2 billion as per section 35 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013. In June 2020, the Minister for Finance provided a term loan facility to Uisce Éireann to the end of 2024. Uisce Éireann Debt Draw Down by Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Total ...

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

James Browne: Waterways Ireland is a North South Implementation Body established under the British Irish Agreement 1998 and operates under the overall policy direction of the North South Ministerial Council. It is funded by my Department and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. As a North South Body, Waterways Ireland is audited jointly by the Comptroller and Auditor General and the...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 474 and 476 together. Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government, as set out in Pathway 4 of Housing for All. The Vacant Homes Action Plan, published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes....

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

James Browne: This Government is committed to continued and ongoing sustained and strategic investment in rural water services across Ireland. As part of this commitment my Department is investing in rural water infrastructure to deliver improvements to water services in areas of rural Ireland where Uisce Éireann services are not currently available. More than €243 million is provided...

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

James Browne: In 2019, my Department brought in Regulations, (SI 235/2019), to provide for new arrangements for Short Term Lets within Rent Pressure Zones (RPZ). The regulations provided for the following:Short term letting is defined as the letting of a house or apartment, or part of a house or apartment, for any period not exceeding 14 days.Homesharing (the letting of a room or rooms in a person’s...

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

James Browne: The Tenant Purchase Schemes provide for the purchase by eligible tenants of local authority properties which are available for sale under the terms of the particular scheme. All applications for the schemes must satisfy the requirements outlined in the relevant legislation. The regulations provide for a number of specified classes of houses to be excluded from sale, including those provided...

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

James Browne: Section 139(7) of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2025 (the RTA) provides that a landlord may, at any time, notify the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) in writing of any changes in respect of particulars entered in its register of tenancies, and of any additional particulars to be entered in that register in respect of a tenancy. Such a change in particulars could include changes to...

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

James Browne: The Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended, sets out mandatory objectives for local authorities, which must be addressed in the drafting of their Development Plan governing local development policies. Where there is a Gaeltacht area within the planning authority’s administrative area, the development plan must include provisions and objectives for “the protection of the...

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

James Browne: I refer to my reply to Question No. 114 of 25 June 2025 which sets out the position on this matter.

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

James Browne: While the LDA has a key function in relation to the development of underutilised State lands for housing, it also has a mandate to engage in active land management to ensure there is a healthy pipeline of sites for development. The acquisition of private land ensures that the LDA can respond to conditions in particular areas to offer suitable homes, even where appropriate sites in State...

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

James Browne: The Land Development Agency has assembled and developed a body of skills and expertise, unparalleled within the State sector, in development of large scale housing projects and high density typologies/ apartments, and strategic land assembly and master planning of large scale sites/areas and city quarters. The Government will ensure that this skillset is made available to all local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (1 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/. ...