Results 301-320 of 6,997 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The zoning of land for particular uses is an exercise undertaken as part of the overall statutory plan making function of the local authority under relevant provisions of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended) (the Act). Under this legislation, the decision to zone land is specifically a reserved function of the Elected Members of the Planning Authority. In preparing their...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Statutory Instruments (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The Planning and Development (Exempted Development) (No. 4) Regulations (S.I. 605 of 2022) were introduced to assist the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (MCEDIY) in meeting Ireland’s legal obligation to provide accommodation to international protection applicants. The Regulations amend Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Planning and Development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Projects (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The Government is fully committed to the protection and preservation of our underwater cultural heritage as outlined in the Programme for Government. Work is currently underway within the National Monuments Service on a draft National Strategy to protect Ireland's underwater cultural heritage. It is anticipated that this will be ready for public consultation later this year. Ratification...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Government maintains a strong focus on the use of vacant and underutilised 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. The Land Development Agency Act 2021 (the Act) was commenced in July 2021, with a number of objectives including the identification and assessment of relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Projects (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 98 together. The National Built Heritage Service (NBHS) oversees a number of grant schemes to assist owners of historic buildings. The purpose of these schemes is to support the repair, maintenance, conservation, and re-use of the traditional buildings which contribute so much to the character and amenity of our villages, towns, cities, and rural...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Data for the Q4 2024 social and affordable housing delivery figures is currently being collated and validated and is due be published at the end of this quarter in line with previous years. Comprehensive delivery statistics for both social and affordable housing are published quarterly on my Department's website and are available up to end Q3 2024. My Department also publishes the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The Programme for Government commits to invest additional capital in Uisce Éireann to facilitate housing development in our towns and villages. Last November, I approved Uisce Éireann's Strategic Funding Plan (SFP) 2025 - 2029. The SFP specifies the arrangements Uisce Éireann proposes to make and measures it proposes to take to meet the policy objectives of the Water...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Architects Register (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: I am aware that Architectural Technologists are an essential profession working to high standards in the construction sector. In general, the regulation of professions is in the first instance a matter for industry representatives working in consultation with relevant industry stakeholders. My Department has been engaging with the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Housing for All recognises the need for a Cross-Government approach to addressing homelessness. It includes specific actions to address the additional support needs of households experiencing homelessness. The HSE provides health services to homeless persons in emergency accommodation settings, including care and case management and intensive addiction and mental health supports. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (20 Mar 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 (20 Mar 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: Vacant Properties (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: 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 grant of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict, bringing the total grant available for a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (20 Mar 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 (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Government is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver affordable housing at scale and this momentum will continue as the pipeline is developed by Local Authorities alongside the Approved Housing Bodies and the Land Development Agency. Since 2021 over 10,000 affordable housing supports have been delivered via our delivery partners from a standing start. As part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Telecommunications Infrastructure (20 Mar 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. As I understand it,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Information and Communications Technology (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: My Department has 216 ISDN lines and 62 PSTN lines in operation. As these are all copper based lines this equates to 494 copper lines (i.e. 2 copper lines per ISDN and 1 per PSTN).

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: 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 and continue to increase the provision of housing through accelerating supply and increasing the affordability of homes. Cost Rental housing is a key tool in our efforts to make rents more affordable and renting...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Tenant in Situ Acquisitions were introduced by way of Government decision in 2023 as a short term response to the reported uplift in sales by landlords of homes which were within the HAP and RAS schemes in order to prevent potential homelessness where other solutions could not be found for the affected tenants. A further Government decision extended such acquisitions into 2024 with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Further to my response to Question No. 629 of 5 February 2025, the Programme for Government commits to a new housing plan that will build on Housing for All and support delivery of some 300,000 new homes by end-2030. Priority actions from the Programme for Government, with the greatest potential impact, are already being progressed, including a new Strategic Housing Activation Office....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (20 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Tenant in Situ Acquisitions were introduced by way of Government decision in 2023 as a short term response to the reported uplift in sales by landlords of homes which were within the HAP and RAS schemes in order to prevent potential homelessness where other solutions could not be found for the affected tenants. A further Government decision extended such acquisitions into 2024 with...