Results 241-260 of 9,065 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 546 and 593 together. On 10 June 2025, the Government approved policy measures to provide for the enhancement of rent controls and tenancy protections for new tenancies created (i.e. first time tenancy between parties) from 1 March 2026. Legislation is being prepared and will be published later this year to give effect to these policy measures. Further...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (30 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. Government approval was granted for the priority drafting of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill which will...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: 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. An Appeals Panel has been established to assess appeals made under the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the use of Defective Concrete (DCB) Blocks Grant Scheme. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Development Plan (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The agreed Programme for Government included a commitment to establish a new Towns and Cities Infrastructure Investment Fund to: - invest in infrastructure to acquire land, assemble sites, de-risk sites; - support the development of new transport orientated development towns as necessary; and - to continue and expand URDF (Urban Regeneration and Development Fund) investments in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Ballymun regeneration programme spanned a long number of years, with Departmental funding first arising in 1999. This substantial programme, which comprised 24 projects, is now complete. The overall programme is estimated to have cost approximately €972 million. Funding of €775.3 million was provided via my Department. Largely completed by the end of 2013, the Ballymun...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Process (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Arrangements for the holding of elections and referendums, including the setting of the polling day, are set out in legislation. Electoral law allows for the taking of the poll at elections and referendums on any day of the week and this flexibility allows all relevant factors to be taken into account at any given time in setting the polling day. Under Section 67 of the Electoral Reform...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: My Department has several cloud SaaS solutions. Cloud storage is an integrated part of these SaaS solutions and storage is not billed separately. Accordingly, it is not possible to give specific figures on cloud storage solutions.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I recently secured an additional €50 million on foot of the National Development Plan discussions to expand the social housing Second-Hand Acquisitions Programme this year, bringing the budget available for the programme to €375 million. I am targeting this additional funding at acquisitions supporting households, particularly larger families with children, to exit long-term...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Remedial works for relevant apartment defects, which will include all eligible fire safety, water ingress and structural safety defects, will be funded under the forthcoming statutory Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Scheme. This Scheme will establish supports for remediation of relevant defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: CALF funding is capital support provided to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) by local authorities to facilitate the funding of construction and purchase of new social housing homes. This loan facility can support between 25% and 30% of the eligible capital cost of the housing project, with the remaining finance sourced by the AHBs from private lenders (usually the Housing Finance Agency...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 564, 565 and 566 together. Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) funding is available to AHBs to provide affordable rented accommodation to those on middle incomes. The nature of the cost rental model means that cost rental homes are made available at a certain rent level, which is needed to cover the costs of delivery and maintenance of the cost rental homes,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Remedial works for relevant apartment defects, which will include all eligible fire safety, water ingress and structural safety defects, will be funded under the forthcoming statutory Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Scheme. This Scheme will establish supports for remediation of relevant defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: CALF funding is capital support provided to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) by local authorities to facilitate the funding of construction and purchase of new social housing homes. This loan facility can support between 25% and 30% of the eligible capital cost of the housing project, with the remaining finance sourced by the AHBs from private lenders (usually the Housing Finance Agency...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 564, 565 and 566 together. Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) funding is available to AHBs to provide affordable rented accommodation to those on middle incomes. The nature of the cost rental model means that cost rental homes are made available at a certain rent level, which is needed to cover the costs of delivery and maintenance of the cost rental homes, and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published a research paper in February 2025, which explores the investment requirements for energy efficiency upgrades in the private rental sector. The research was funded by my Department under a joint programme the Department operates with the ESRI. Based on the data sets available, the ESRI paper explores the energy efficiency profile of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: This social housing project in Kildare County Council has received approval from my Department. A revised funding submission for this project was recently received, which my Department is reviewing. Kildare County Council is responsible for the implementation of this project and, therefore, would be in a better position to provide a detailed response as to the up-to-date position on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The project in question has been approved by my Department and in terms of the pre-construction process, is at an advanced stage. My Department has been advised by Kildare County Council that this project is progressing as planned. Kildare County Council is responsible for the implementation of this project and, therefore, would be in a better position to provide a detailed response as to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis for social housing delivery, including on second-hand acquisitions by local authorities. These statistics show:1,829 second-hand acquisitions were completed in 2023, including 1,081 for tenants in situ;1,501 acquisitions were completed in 2024, including 1,054 for tenants in situ; and490 or so acquisitions...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Seanad Elections (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Under Seanad Electoral law, the taking of the poll for the Higher Education Constituency is a matter for the Returning Officer, in this case the Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Ireland. As Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, I have no function in relation to the taking of the poll. The Seanad Electoral (University Members) Amendment Act 2024 provided that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: My Department publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR), which provides details of social housing developments, their location and their funding programme that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The report includes the names of the Approved Housing Bodies involved with the projects...