Results 561-580 of 9,173 for speaker:James Browne

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...

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

James Browne: The First Home Scheme is a shared equity scheme, designed to help bridge the gap for eligible first-time buyers, eligible homebuyers, and self-builders, between their deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home (within price ceilings established across the country). Full details are available on the First Home Scheme website, www.firsthomescheme.ie/. The First Home Scheme...

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

James Browne: The funding system that applies to local authorities in Ireland is a complex one, as those authorities derive their income from a variety of sources including commercial rates, charges for goods and services and funding from Central Government including my Department but also other government departments and state agencies. Most of the funding from Central Government to local authorities must...

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

James Browne: Responsibility for energy policy, including fossil fuels and biofuels, is a matter for the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE). The current planning system, provides a sufficiently robust policy and legislative framework to facilitate the proper planning and sustainable development of large scale developments, which may be considered on a case-by-case basis in...

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

James Browne: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by Tailte Éireann under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2020.  While some property and land is exempt from rates (the full list of exempted properties is set out in Schedule 4 of the Valuation Acts 2001 to...

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

James Browne: Based on the funding drawn down by the local authorities from my Department, the table below sets out the average costs for Part V properties acquired by each local authority as new social homes in 2023 and 2024. It does not include data on Part V properties for social housing acquired by AHBs. Individual local authority and annual data can be influenced by individual transactions for Part...

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

James Browne: Specific delivery costs per unit are variable and can greatly differ between both the affordable schemes themselves and the typology, location and overall layout of the developments in question. The maximum funding available to Approved Housing Bodies under the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) scheme is 55% of the capital costs, split between a CREL loan of up to 35% and equity of up to...

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

James Browne: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support available for people who have a long-term housing need. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of Q1 2025, almost 127,000 HAP tenancies had been set-up...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1252 and 1253 together. There are currently three defects remediation schemes operating; namely, the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, the Pyrite Remediation Scheme, and the Interim Remediation Scheme. The Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme applies to the owners of dwellings located in Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Limerick and Sligo which are...

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 housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level.  Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities.  My Department does not fund any homeless...

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

James Browne: Continuing to increase the supply of new homes is key to meeting need and addressing many of the challenges currently facing the housing market. Supply has increased significantly in recent years. Some 140,000 new homes have been delivered since July 2020, with 92,400 of these delivered between 2022 and 2024 inclusive, exceeding the combined target for the period by 5,400 or so.  New...

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

James Browne: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all eligible households throughout the State. Under HAP, a tenant sources their own accommodation in the private rented market. The tenancy agreement is between the tenant and the landlord and is governed by the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended. HAP supported tenancies are afforded...

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

James Browne: I can confirm that a response to your representation issued on 2 September, and that response contained the most current and accurate information available.