Results 501-520 of 6,997 for speaker:James Browne

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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: My Department provides funding to local authorities under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People scheme, to assist eligible people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants includes the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant are funded...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: Under Section 159 of 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/she is responsible. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 273 and 275 together. In line with commitments made in both the Programme for Government and Housing for All, a national Youth Homelessness Strategy was published in November 2022. The Strategy aims to help young people aged 18-24 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. It sets out 27 key actions to prevent youth homelessness; improve the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: A proposal for a Capital Assistance Scheme Turnkey Acquisition at the above named location was received by my Department from Cork County Council. The proposal, which will deliver eight one-bedroom apartments, aligned with the Council’s housing needs assessment was approved by my Department on 24 January 2024. We have followed up with Cork County to ensure that notification of this...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Weather Events (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: My Department is designated as the Lead Government Department responsible for coordinating a response to severe weather emergencies at national level, as set out in the Strategic Emergency Management (SEM) Framework (2017), where warranted. The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management within my Department undertakes this role and works closely with local authority Severe...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Ireland (27 Feb 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: Departmental Data (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: [Attachment omitted] The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the land does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. The Act also imposes a duty on local authorities to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: Support from the Affordable Housing Fund is available to all local authorities to deliver affordable purchase and cost rental homes where an affordable housing need is evidenced. Approvals for funding are now in place to support delivery of over 5,000 affordable homes by 21 local authorities. In addition, the First Home Scheme, launched in July 2022, supports first-time buyers in purchasing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reviews (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The Working Group, established by my Department in April 2024 to undertake a review of the existing suite of engineering qualifications in the local government sector, has now concluded its work and has recommended a number of changes. My Department is currently in the process of consulting with the relevant public sector unions about these proposals and it is expected that these...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: 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 not held by my Department as this is a matter for An Bord...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: Affordable Housing statistical reports are based on the delivery of affordable homes which have been completed and publicly advertised to eligible affordable housing applicants. Comprehensive programme-level statistics are published by my Department on affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and delivery partners in each local authority area. As is the case with house sales...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The Multi-annual Rural Water Programme (MARWP) is the main funding stream providing capital funding to address the challenges faced by rural dwellers with their water services. The objective of the programme is to provide the necessary funding to address infrastructure deficits that are having an impact on the provision of safe and secure water services and promote economic and social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (27 Feb 2025)

James Browne: 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 the affected tenants. A further Government decision...