Results 201-220 of 7,753 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 750, 751 and 861 together. The Government is acutely aware of the housing challenges faced by many sectors of society. Housing for All, Ireland's housing plan to 2030, contains a suite of actions that have increased, and will continue to increase, the provision of housing through accelerating supply and increasing the affordability of homes. My...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The current cycle of my Department's Multi-annual Rural Water Programme (MARWP) covers the period until the end of 2026. A total of 875 individual applications, including one for a Community Water Connection project at the location in the details supplied were received from local authorities across the country. An independent Expert Panel is tasked with evaluating and reviewing each...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Inquiries (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 753 and 831 together. As per Department of Finance letter of 10 December 2010, Government policy continues to be that starting pay on recruitment from open competition for all posts within the public service should be at the minimum of the relevant salary scale. All competition notices, advertisements and information booklets must specify that starting...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department issued the revised Stage 2 funding approval with regard to this project on the 6 June 2025. Further information on the advancement of this project is available from Offaly County Council, as Social Housing delivery, whether LA build project, Turnkey proposal, acquisition or AHB housing proposal is managed by the Local Authority as the statutory Housing Authority and they are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 755 and 759 together. 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. In November 2024 following the receipt of preliminary results from scientific research in Donegal, my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 758, 760 and 761 together. The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) was commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The Appeals Panel has been established to assess appeals made under the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (10 Jun 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: Departmental Data (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: Tailte Éireann is an independent Government agency under the aegis of my Department. Tailte Éireann provide a property registration system, property valuation service, and national mapping and surveying infrastructure for the State. Under Section 8(6) of the Tailte Éireann Act 2022, Tailte Éireann is independent in the performance of its functions. The information...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: Tailte Éireann is an independent Government agency under the aegis of my Department. Tailte Éireann provides a property registration system, property valuation service, and national mapping and surveying infrastructure for the State. Under Section 8(6) of the Tailte Éireann Act 2022, Tailte Éireann is independent in the performance of its functions. It is understood that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Inquiries (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Repair and Leasing Scheme is one of a number of Government initiatives aimed at tackling vacancy. Under this scheme, a loan of up to €80,000 per unit is available to bring properties that have been vacant for over one year up to rental standards. The renovated home is then leased to the local authority or an AHB to provide social housing with the loan repaid as a reduction in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The National Planning Framework (NPF) fully supports the sustainable development of rural areas and the need to ensure that they continue to be viable places to live in. Statutory county development plans currently provide planning policies for the development of new housing in rural areas including appropriate housing within villages and smaller rural settlements. In circumstances where no...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Ready to Build Scheme, funded by the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, to support addressing vacancy, was launched in September 2022. Under the Scheme, local authorities make vacant serviced sites in towns and villages available to potential individual purchasers to build a home. Under the scheme, local authorities identify suitable sites in their ownership or purchase sites in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The drafting of the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill is progressing. Various issues requiring legal advice have been sought and are under consideration. It is included in the Government Legislation Summer Programme 2025 and I intend to seek Government approval to publish shortly. Subject to this approval, the General Scheme will be made available to undergo pre-legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Grant Payments (10 Jun 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Inquiries (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: A total of 875 individual applications were received from local authorities to fund projects under the current cycle of my Department’s Multi-annual Rural Water Programme (MARWP), which covers the period until the end of 2026. As part of the application process for the MARWP, an independent Expert Panel is tasked with evaluating and reviewing each individual project, assessing the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 772, 789 and 790 together. The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 provides that the role of my Department is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist local authorities in providing accommodation for Travellers, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding. The Act provides that housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: At present my Department does not employ any member of staff in the specific civil service grades of Professional Account Grade 1, 2 or 3. There was one member of staff serving in my Department on 1 June 2022 in the grade of Professional Accountant Grade 2. There are general service staff, including for example, Assistant Principal Officers and Principal Officers with Accountancy...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: An Bord Pleanála (the Board) 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 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. There are now more people working at the Board than at any time previously. Since October 2021,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: On 15 October 2024, my Department published a Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources to respond to capacity challenges in the planning sector. This Action Plan provides a detailed roadmap to increase the pool of planning and related expertise needed to ensure a planning system fit for future needs. Funding was secured in Budget 2025 to support delivery of the Action Plan and a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (10 Jun 2025)

James Browne: Cost information on the delivery of social homes through the various construction streams, is collated by my Department at development/project level rather than at individual housing unit level. The cost of constructing new homes is dependent on a range of variables, such as the location, the scale of the development and the size and type of the homes involved. As such, the limitations of...