Results 561-580 of 9,065 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Grant Payments (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: My Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities to administer the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, which support older and disabled people living in private houses to adapt their home to meet their needs. The suite of grants, which include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels including the development of a capital investment plan, which is approved through its own internal governance structures. I have no role in approving their capital investment plans. Uisce Éireann has established a dedicated team to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Solar Energy Guidelines (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: My Department’s Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme supports the delivery of Climate Action Plan BE/25/10 with the continuing roll-out of the Social Housing National Retrofitting Programme, with 2,500 retrofitted properties expected to reach a minimum BER of B2 or higher and incorporating heat pump deployment targets this year. It is expected that 36,500 local authority owned homes...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Archaeological Sites (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Archaeological sites in my ownership are presented and maintained by the Office of Public Works. The sites referred to are not in the my ownership and so are not maintained by the OPW. The sites may meet the criteria for application for grants under the Community Monuments Fund which is administered through the Local Authorities by the National Monuments Service of my Department. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Grant Payments (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1485, 1502 and 1671 together. My Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, to assist those in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants, which include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1486 and 1543 together. Responsibility for ensuring that domestic wastewater treatment systems, including septic tanks, are maintained and are properly functioning rests with individual property owners, who are also financially liable. Grant assistance is available to septic tank owners where the system is found to be defective and poses a risk to human...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: My Department’s Domestic Waste Water Treatment System Grant Scheme provides financial assistance to homeowners for the repair, upgrade, or replacement of their systems (mostly septic tanks). The scheme, which is administered by the local authorities, is demand–led. The table below sets out the number of grants under the scheme paid by my Department to each local authority from...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (29 Jul 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 Act 1981. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a Central Training...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Bodies (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: My Department is progressing work to enable the establishment of the Housing Activation Office (HAO) to support housing delivery by addressing infrastructure barriers. My Department does not comment on the specifics of individual staff and their rate of pay, however to date, six staff have been assigned or seconded to the HAO. In addition to the secondees in place, senior staff...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Social Housing is delivered through a range of Local Authority and Approved Housing Body (AHB) delivery programmes. Capital expenditure on the delivery of new social homes is also supported by current funding provided through the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP). In respect of Affordable Housing delivery, Housing for All provides for a number of important affordability...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant introduced in July 2022, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. A top-up...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The annual budget allocation for the National Parks and Wildlife Service from 2023-2025 is set out below. Year Allocation (€ million) 2023 €52.9 2024 €69.1 2025 €78.0 These allocations are based on gross voted expenditure as published in the Revised Estimates Volume...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: There were 7.00 WTE senior archaeologists serving in my Department at the end of December 2024, and 6.00 WTE senior archaeologists serving at the end of June 2025.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Correspondence (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The Poolbeg (Irish Glass Bottle Site) Housing Consultative Forum was established by Dublin City Council to provide a forum for the mutual exchange of information between stakeholders associated with the Irish Glass Bottle site. The organisation and convening of the forum is a matter for Dublin City Council. I understand that the next meeting is due to take place in September 2025.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: In 2019, the local authority applied for funding under my Department's Multi-annual Developer Provided Infrastructure Resolution Programme for the remediation of the Developer Provided Infrastructure (commonly called DPI) in the estate referred to in the details supplied. The local authority was advised in 2020 that the funding was not being approved and the reason for this was given. There...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Legislation enacted in December 2022 amended the Planning and Development Act. The provisions under sections 3, 13 and 14 of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Act 2022 which insert section 179A into the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, have commenced. These provisions provide that housing development by, on behalf of, or in partnership with a local authority...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The table below sets out the details on the timeline for each project currently proposed or completed in the north-west quarter regeneration in Cork city; the current spend to date; the original projected spend; and the current projected spend of each project. PROJECT Number of units ORIGINAL PROJECTED SPEND CURRENT PROJECTED SPEND SPEND TO DATE...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Derelict Sites (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I refer to my reply to Question No. 4 of 1 July 2025 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The Planning and Development (Amendment)Act 2025 (Act of 2025) was signed into law by the President on 23 July 2025. The Act will shortly be available on the Irish Statute Book. Section 28 of the Act of 2025, when commenced, will enable for an extension of duration of permissions to be made on permissions for housing development, including one-off housing, that are nearing the end of their...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Marine Protected Areas (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1503, 1581 and 1595 together. The Marine Protected Areas legislation is at an advanced stage of preparation and is intended to be finalised as soon as possible. In light of the forthcoming transfer of the marine environment function from my Department to the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment on 1 August, a review is being undertaken to...