Results 381-400 of 7,615 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (13 May 2025)

James Browne: Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme eligible households source their own accommodation in the private rented market. HAP rent limits are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned. An average of 156 new HAP tenancies were set up each week in 2024 across all local authorities, indicating that the scheme continues to support large numbers of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 687, 690, 691, 694, 696 and 700 together. My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social and affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Comprehensive data on social and affordable housing is published on my Department's website up to Quarter 4 2024, including...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Asset Management Agency (13 May 2025)

James Browne: Information on the total number of publicly owned or NAMA held residential sites is not held or collated by my Department. Policies and requirements relating to the management and disposal of State Property assets have been put in place by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, who may hold or collate the information sought. With regard to residential land held...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 May 2025)

James Browne: As detailed under Housing for All, the Government plans to deliver 54,000 affordable homes, including 36,000 affordable purchase and 18,000 cost rental homes, by 2030. A comprehensive implementation strategy is in place to support the various affordable housing schemes now being delivered by a range of delivery partners. These measures, specifically the affordable purchase schemes, are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (13 May 2025)

James Browne: My Department is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social, affordable and cost rental homes at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures to support vulnerable individuals secure appropriate and adequate housing. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment which is being provided for the delivery of homes in 2025, with overall...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Consultations (13 May 2025)

James Browne: The information sought is not readily available and its compilation would involve a disproportionate amount of time and work. In accordance with the Freedom of Information publication scheme, my department publishes details of procurement related payments over €20,000, on a quarterly basis at . The Q1 2025 quarterly report is currently being prepared and will be published in due...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (13 May 2025)

James Browne: I understand projects to mean housing projects. My Department does not have any completed housing projects which incurred costs exceeding €1 million where no housing output was delivered, in the past five years. My Department does not maintain the requested information in respect of the state bodies under its aegis. These bodies may be contacted directly by e-mail by members of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (13 May 2025)

James Browne: My Department has 4 Housing Divisions, all of which are involved in the oversight and delivery of housing-related commitments under the Programme for Government and Housing for All. To achieve these commitments, my Department works collaboratively across Government and with key stakeholders and delivery partners, including Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and State Bodies, like the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (13 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 699 and 701 together. Housing delivery has increased significantly since the publication in September 2021 of Housing for All. During this period, we have seen a significant increase in the supply and quantum of housing across all tenures, social, affordable, private purchase and private rental housing, through public and private delivery streams. New...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 702 and 764 together. The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant introduced in July 2022, is a key measure to address vacancy and dereliction, supporting bringing properties back into use as homes. It 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (13 May 2025)

James Browne: Firstly, with regard to the planning application process generally, I wish to highlight that it is open to any member of the public to make an observation or submission on a planning application, including in relation to wind energy developments, and the planning authority is statutorily obliged to consider such submissions before making a decision on the application. Persons who make...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (13 May 2025)

James Browne: The Government’s ‘Town Centre First’ (TCF) Policy was launched by my Department and the then Department of Rural and Community Development in 2022 and provides a whole-of-government policy framework to address the decline in the health of towns and support measures to revitalise them. To drive the delivery of Town Centre First, a number of national structures and supports...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (13 May 2025)

James Browne: In December 2023, my Department wrote directly to Galway County Council confirming approval of a funding contribution of more than €10 million under the Rural Water Programme to co-fund, with Galway County Council, a project to deliver a wastewater treatment system in Craughwell Village, Co Galway. Galway County Council is responsible for the delivery of this project and they are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (13 May 2025)

James Browne: The clear focus of Government is to increase the supply of new build social and affordable homes. Increasing the overall housing supply is key to addressing the housing challenge and in particular preventing and ultimately eliminating long term homelessness. Second hand Social Housing Acquisitions targets, including Tenant in Situ acquisitions, were increased by way of Government decision...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (13 May 2025)

James Browne: Under the Programme for Government published in January 2025, the Government committed to introduce a new, all of government, national housing plan to follow Housing for All. My Department is currently examining that commitment, its implementation and the potential timeframe. While work is being undertaken to progress a new plan, which will build on progress to date, the measures detailed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (13 May 2025)

James Browne: There are extensive enforcement provisions provided for in Part VIII of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, with a view to ensuring that works pertaining to permitted developments are carried out in accordance with the planning permission granted and any associated conditions and that no unauthorised development takes place. Under planning legislation, enforcement of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (13 May 2025)

James Browne: On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs, including the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regulatory Bodies (13 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 713, 726, 727, 728 and 729 together. 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. In preparing the Board...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regulatory Bodies (13 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 714 and 725 together. 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. The Planning and Development Act 2024,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regulatory Bodies (13 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 715, 716, 717 and 718 together. 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. The information requested is...