Results 441-460 of 9,065 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Stations (8 Sep 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 & 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wild Fires (8 Sep 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: Wild Fires (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Advice offered to the general public on action to take in the event of exposure to emissions from wildfire is available on HSE Health Protection Surveillance centre at the following link:  www.hpsc.ie/a-z/environmentandhealth/airqua lity/wildfires/#d.en.23927   Advice on home ventilation systems can be found on my Department's website at the following link: ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (8 Sep 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 local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for persons experiencing homelessness rests with individual local authorities. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1198 and 1267 together. 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 local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (8 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. The scheme is now open to applications in five counties: Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Mayo and Sligo with comprehensive information of all aspects of the Scheme available on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Government is acutely aware of the housing challenges faced by many sectors of society. The Government's current housing plan, Housing for All, contains a suite of actions that have increased, and will continue to increase, the provision of housing through accelerating supply and increasing the affordability of homes. The 2025 Programme for Government includes a commitment to target...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1203 and 1236 together. 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 continue to increase the provision of housing through accelerating supply and increasing the affordability of homes for our citizens. Under the Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Building Regulations 1997 - 2024 set out the legal requirements in Ireland for the construction of new buildings (including houses), extensions to existing buildings as well as for material alterations and certain material changes of use to existing buildings. The related Technical Guidance Documents (Parts A - M respectively) available...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Development Contributions (8 Sep 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: Defective Building Materials (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1206, 1207, 1208 and 1209 together. 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. The Appeals Panel has been established to assess appeals made under the Remediation of Dwellings...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1210 and 1211 together. 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.  In November 2024 following the receipt of preliminary results from scientific research in Donegal, my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme is deemed to be a social housing support under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. As a long term housing support, an assessment of housing need must be completed in order for a household to qualify for HAP. Rent Supplement remains available through the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to households as a short-term income...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Development Plan (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The National Development Plan (NDP) Review process with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation did not involve the submission of individual projects. It was an overall bid based on estimated sectoral requirements for the next 5-10 years. Allocations to programmes and subheads will be determined in the coming weeks which will enable the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Infrastructure (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive sets ambitious goals for energy efficiency and renewables in buildings by requiring Nearly Zero Energy Building or “NZEB” performance for new buildings from 31 December 2020.  All new dwellings are now A2 rated and electrical heating systems, which are mainly renewable heat pump, are installed in nearly all new dwellings. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Government published the updated National Development Plan in July 2025, with unprecedented levels of investment, to secure Ireland's future, unlock housing, upgrade water and energy infrastructure, deliver more roads, and provide better public transport. This included €12.2 billion for the water sector, however, the sectoral and multi-annual allocations of this investment...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1237 and 1254 together. Remedial works, 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.  Priority drafting of the legislation to underpin the Scheme, the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill 2024, was...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Process (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Ireland’s independent Electoral Commission, was established on 9 February 2023 in accordance with the relevant provisions of Part 2 of the Electoral Reform Act 2022. An Coimisiún's research, advisory and public information function will see it carry out research on electoral policy and procedure. An Coimisiún is also empowered to advise...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1240 and 1241 together. The Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) aims to retrofit a local authority home to a minimum BER rating of B2. It is expected that 36,500 local authority owned homes will be retrofitted under this programme out to 2030.  The programme has been devised in a way to give local authorities a level of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Harbours and Piers (8 Sep 2025)

James Browne: To provide a high degree of confidence that projects delivered will provide value for money, it is a condition of URDF support that advancement of proposals/projects and related funding arrangements must accord with the Infrastructure Guidelines (formally the Public Spending Code), In November 2023, Wicklow County Council submitted a Preliminary Business Case for the Bray Harbour proposal...