Results 501-520 of 7,010 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: I refer to the reply to Question No. 768 of 22 January 2025 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Additional capital funding of €450m was agreed by Government for the approval of projects to deliver social, affordable and cost rental homes. Under this funding, some 3,000 new homes are expected to be delivered over the period 2025-2027, of which, 2,261 new homes will be delivered through the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) and the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF). A further 734...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 442, 444 and 448 together. The Tenant in Situ Acquisitions Programme was introduced by way of Government decision in 2023. It was originally intended 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Equipment (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility, under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation. As Minister, I have no role in their operational matters. I have, however, made enquiries and have been informed that Uisce Éireann is the largest consumer of energy in the State and depends heavily on electricity...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: My Department funds a range of grant schemes for the repair and conservation of protected structures and certain other historic buildings. The Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) provides grants of between €2,500 and €50,000 for a wide range of conservation works; the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) provides grants of between €50,000 and €200,000 for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Process (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Under electoral law, in order to be able to vote at electoral events in Ireland, a person's name must be entered in the register of electors for a constituency in the State in which the person ordinarily resides. With some exceptions (mainly postal and special voters) all persons must attend in person to vote at their local polling station. Irish citizens ordinarily resident outside the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Eligibility for tenancies in Cost Rental homes is primarily determined by the net household income of applicants, which is assessed at the point of application. In August 2023, the Government increased the net household income limits to €66,000 for Cost Rental homes in Dublin and €59,000 elsewhere. These limits were introduced across the Cost Rental sector from 1 August 2023 by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The issues outlined by the national organisation and which are relevant to my Department, are currently being engaged on very constructively directly with the organisation in question and that engagement will continue in coming weeks.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The Ready to Build Scheme, funded by the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, to support addressing vacancy, was launched in September 2022. Under the Scheme, local authorities make vacant serviced sites in towns and villages available to potential individual purchasers to build a home. Under the scheme, local authorities identify suitable vacant sites in their ownership or purchase vacant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Process (4 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. Most of the outstanding technical issues have been resolved. However there are still a small number currently under consideration. The draft Bill will also need revision to reflect new Ministerial...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: A flagship element of Project Ireland 2040, the €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is supporting a programme of significant transformational capital projects that will contribute to the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland’s five cities and other large towns, in line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the National Development...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Communications (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 453 and 454 together. Stakeholder engagement plays a key role in the planning system, enabling planning authorities to have due regard to the policies of government departments and state agencies, thereby ensuring effective decision-making at local level that is consistent with government policy and national and regional policy objectives. Under...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The Programme for Government commits to introducing a new, all-of-government national housing plan to build on the robust platform laid by Housing for All and to support delivery of more than 300,000 new homes by the end of 2030. A number of priority actions from the Programme for Government with the potential to make the most immediate impact, including establishing a Strategic Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Government 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. The overall capital funding available for housing in 2025 is now over €6.5 billion. With this increased funding, the Government’s ambition is to build on the progress made to date under Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: The management and maintenance of Dublin City Council’s (DCC’s) housing stock is strictly a matter for the Local Authority. As such the housing conditions of residents of Cromcastle Court are a matter for DCC. My Department has provided Stage 2 Approval for the redevelopment of the Flat Complex at Cromcastle Court. This project is expected to deliver 149 Social Housing units...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Disabilities Assessments (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: Under the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible and each local authority is an individual employer. Section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that, subject to law, a local authority is independent in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (4 Mar 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: Legislative Reviews (4 Mar 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. 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 (4 Mar 2025)

James Browne: My Department received a copy of the correspondence via your office on 10 February, 2025 and a direct reply issued to residents of the estate on 26 February, 2025. Further correspondence was received on 26 February, 2025 which is being considered and a reply will issue in due course in line with my Department’s Quality Customer Service Charter.

Housing Commission Report: Statements (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: I welcome the opportunity to speak today on the work of the Housing Commission and the significant work the Government is doing and will continue to do to implement the commission’s recommendations. Before I do so, I wish to say I am honoured to have been afforded the opportunity to take on the housing brief. I look forward to contributing to an area which has the potential to...