Results 421-440 of 7,010 for speaker:James Browne

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

James Browne: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...

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

James Browne: The 2016 Bill proposing the Thirty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution concerning public ownership of water did not complete the legislative process in the Houses of the Oireachtas and was deemed to have lapsed with the dissolution of the 33rd Dáil. The Water Services Acts 2007 to 2022 confirm Uisce Éireann as the national authority for water services and detail its functions...

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

James Browne: While local authorities are empowered under a number of statutes to acquire land, by agreement or compulsorily, for the purposes of performing any of their functions, the number of derelict sites acquired within their functional area under the provisions of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 (the Act) are submitted to my Department as part of their annual return on the operation of the Act. The...

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

James Browne: My role with regard to the protection and management of our architectural heritage is set out in the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), as are the roles of local authorities and the responsibilities of owners. Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, gives primary responsibility to local authorities to identify and protect the...

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

James Browne: The members of Athlone-Moate Municipal District agreed at their meeting of 30 October 2024 to make an Order under Section 31 of the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act 1948 Act prohibiting the erection or retention of temporary dwellings on a site at Lissywollen, Athlone. The Order was subsequently published on 4 November 2024, in accordance with the 1948 Act. In accordance also...

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

James Browne: The Housing First approach to addressing homelessness places direct access to housing first and foremost for vulnerable individuals using homeless services consistently or intermittently over long periods of time, and those unable or resistant to accessing homeless services and who may then become habitual rough sleepers. These individuals often have complex high support needs such as mental...

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

James Browne: My Department does not hold the information requested by the Deputy. Arrangements have been put in place by each State body to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. The Deputy may wish to contact the State bodies directly in this instance to request the relevant information. Contact email addresses for each body are set out in the table below. ...

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

James Browne: Any skills gaps that exist on a State Board are brought to the attention of my Department during the process to fill vacancies on that Board. In the normal course of events, the State body liaises with the Department to fill these vacancies, in accordance with the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards, via a process managed by the Public Appointments Service. This process involves the...

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

James Browne: As Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, I am responsible for appointments to the Boards of relevant bodies under the aegis of my Department. All appointments are made in accordance with the requirements of the governing legislation and the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards. Board members are appointed to bring specific knowledge, skills, experiences and expertise to...

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

James Browne: The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies requires that the Board of a State body should, using its high level functions and duties as a guide, prepare customised terms of reference for the Board. My Department undertakes an annual exercise examining State bodies' compliance with the Code and, since 2023, has specifically requested confirmation regarding whether a terms of...

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

James Browne: My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities. My Department does not fund any homeless service...

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

James Browne: Legislation is currently being drafted to establish the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Scheme on a statutory basis and subject to the legislative process, the Statutory Scheme is expected to be in place later this year. The Statutory Scheme will provide supports for the remediation of relevant fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 943 and 984 together. Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such rent schemes is generally a matter for local authorities within broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’...

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

James Browne: The current cycle of my Department's Multi-annual Rural Water Programme (MARWP) covering the period to 2026 was launched in 2024. Almost 900 applications for funding for individual projects were received by my Department from local authorities across the country. Mayo County Council submitted an application under Measure A5 of the programme to fund an extension to an existing group water...

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

James Browne: The Government decided in 2017 that water charges would not be levied on domestic customers but instead the funding of domestic water services would be met through general taxation and paid through my Departments Vote. This position is unchanged. A provision for charging for excess use of domestic water services is contained within the Water Services Act 2017, and is known as the...

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

James Browne: The Housing Finance Agency (HFA) is an Agency under the aegis of my Department. The Department has responsibility for Corporate Governance of the HFA and performs this function in line with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies 2016. Furthermore, under Statutory Instrument No. 583 of 2024, the Housing Finance Agency became a designated body to NewERA, who provide financial...

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

James Browne: The 2005 ‘Faro Convention’ emphasises the important aspects of heritage as they relate to human rights and democracy. It promotes a wider understanding of heritage and its relationship to communities and society. The objective of Faro is to ensure that cultural heritage contributes to the social, cultural and economic dynamics of communities. While the Convention has not...

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. The detailed operation of the Scheme is a matter for the designated local authorities with the Housing Agency acting as agents of the local authorities under the grant...

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

James Browne: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 950 to 957, inclusive, together. The reply given to Question No. 238 of 24 September 2024 sets out the up-to date position in relation to the Serviced Sites Fund project at Ballymastone, Donabate. Funding approval-in-principle issued in writing from my Department to the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council on 27 April 2021. I will arrange to have a...