Results 381-400 of 6,997 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Charges (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: In April 2024, the Government approved an extension for the refunding of Uisce Éireann water and wastewater connection charges in respect of residential development. The scheme applies to all residential development that:commenced on site between 25 April 2023 and not later than 30 September 2024,all valid applications are submitted to Uisce Éireann by 31 December 2024 andcommenced...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 895 and 982 together. Housing for All includes a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, completed in November 2021, it was recommended moving five local authorities from Band 3 to Band 2, ensuring the income eligibility thresholds better reflect housing costs in those counties. Government also agreed to increase the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: A breakdown of the population growth of individual Local Electoral Areas from Census 2022 is available from Central Statistics Office through their website CSO.ie (www.cso.ie/en/statistics/population/censusofpopulation2022/ ). Between 2016 and 2022, Ireland's population increased by 387,274, an increase of 8.1% with 5,149,139 people in the State on 3 April 2022 (CSO Census). Natural...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (19 Mar 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. Following updated cost reports from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) and advice from the Expert Group established to consider the matter, a further increase...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (19 Mar 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. Mayo County Council has received an overall total of 414 applications to the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme which comprises of 348 to the previous (2020) scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Process (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The Marine Protected Areas Bill is at an advanced stage of drafting. It is intended to finalise this draft as soon as possible and seek government approval to publish the Bill this year. The draft Bill will need revision to reflect new Ministerial responsibilities and transfers of functions between Departments once these have taken place, however, these revisions are not expected to be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 900 and 902 together. Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) were introduced under Part 3 of the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 to moderate rent increases in those parts of the country where rents are highest and rising fastest. Rent controls are applied on the basis of the objective evidence available via the RTB Quarterly Rent...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 901 and 903 together. My Department is supporting the acceleration of affordable housing delivery with funding and other practical measures, both for local authorities, and more widely, by other key partners such as Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency and via the First Home Scheme. Funding support is available to all local authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Decisions made by planning authorities in relation to applications for rural housing are required to be in accordance with the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), having regard to Ministerial guidelines issued under section 28 of the Act, and taking into account the relevant statutory development plan, which in itself is required to be consistent with national...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (19 Mar 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. Local authorities have responsibility for the administration of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme. This includes the initial validation of applications, notifying...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Business Supports (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by Tailte Éireann under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2020. The amount of rates liable on a property is determined by multiplying the valuation of the property set by Tailte Éireann by the Annual Rate on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Schemes (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: My Department oversees a number of schemes which assist owners of thatched buildings. A dedicated Thatching Grant is available for thatched buildings in use as housing. Applicants can avail of up to €3,810 or two thirds of the approved cost (whichever is less) towards necessary roof repair or renewal. A higher grant (up to €5,714) may be payable for houses on specified...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Protection (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department occasionally purchases land for strategic and conservation purposes. Such acquisitions are considered on a case by case basis. In light of the commercial sensitivity of such considerations and the strategic implications of bringing these considerations into the public domain, I am not in a position to comment on individual sites...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The information requested is outlined in the following table. Since 2020, Travel and Subsistence claims have been paid to five individual Special Advisors working in both the Minister and Minister of State offices in my Department. These claims are approved and processed in line with Civil Service Travel and Subsistence Regulations – Circular 11/82. Claims are categorised under the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Architects Register (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 910, 911 and 932 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Ireland (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Waterways Ireland proposes to update the Shannon Bye-laws and Canal Bye-laws which are more than 30 years old. The needs of users have changed, environmental landscape and health and safety considerations have developed significantly and the waterways themselves have been transformed over the past thirty years. The purpose of updating the Bye-laws is to make the waterways safer for those...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: House Sales (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 913, 914, 925 and 926 together. My Department does not collect the data sought. The Central Statistics Office publishes data in respect of residential property transactions by non-households, including international investment funds. The latest data available are for 2023 and can be accessed on the CSO website (data.cso.ie/table/HPA10). The data are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Court Judgments (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) has primary responsibility for for environmental noise matters, to include the consideration of matters arising from the High Court judgement referred to. In this regard, my Department is working in conjunction with DECC, in the context of its environmental noise policy remit, to finalise the guidance on the noise...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Mortgage Interest Rates (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Local Authority Home Loans are not funded through borrowings from the European Central Bank (ECB). Local Authorities do not issue and have never issued what are termed 'tracker mortgages', therefore there are no Local Authority home loans that track the ECB rate changes directly. The current loan offerings available from Local Authorities are the Local Authority Home Loan and the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (19 Mar 2025)

James Browne: My Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis on the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by local authorities. These reports are based on data provided by local authorities, produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). The monthly homelessness report includes details of individuals,...