Results 681-700 of 9,065 for speaker:James Browne

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

James Browne: My Department has both in-house ICT staff and external resources available as required in relation to the delivery of ICT services including cybersecurity and crisis management. My Department does not comment on operational security matters as it would be inappropriate to disclose information that may in any way assist those with malicious intent.

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

James Browne: The Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended, sets out mandatory objectives for local authorities, which must be addressed in the drafting of their Development Plan governing local development policies. Where there is a Gaeltacht area within the planning authority’s administrative area, the development plan must include provisions and objectives for “the protection of the...

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

James Browne: My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social and affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority. This data is available to the end of Q1 2025 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link:...

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

James Browne: The Programme for Government commits to a new national housing plan to underpin delivery of more than 300,000 houses between 2025 and end 2030, including delivery of an average of 12,000 and 15,000 social and starter homes per annum over the period. This increased goal was largely based on the ESRI's research paper, "Population projections, the flow of new households and structural housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (29 Jul 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 148,500 new homes have been delivered since the beginning of 2020, with 92,400 of these delivered between 2022 and 2024 inclusive, exceeding the combined target for the period by 5,400 or so. ...

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

James Browne: Responsibility for the zoning of land rests with the elected members of a local authority. This takes place primarily through the medium of the city or county development plan, but may also currently be provided for through a local area plan (LAP). In preparing their statutory plans, including in relation to the zoning of land for particular purposes, the elected members are required to...

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

James Browne: The cross-Government HfA Data Analytics Working Group was convened shortly after the publication of the HfA plan. This group is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and my Department has been a key contributing member since it was created. An action from the HfA Action Plan update published in November 2022 was to ‘Put in place an enhanced data platform’. To help us...

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

James Browne: Addressing vacancy and dereliction in order to provide increased delivery of new housing stock is a key priority for Government and a broad package of measures have been put in place to support increased housing supply and drive the regeneration of our town and city centres. Specifically to assist and encourage the conversion of commercial floorspace to residential accommodation, the...

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

James Browne: Turning vacant properties into occupied homes is a key pillar of the Government’s Housing for All Plan. The Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018, S.I. No. 30/2018, currently provide for an exemption from the need to obtain planning permission for the change of use of certain vacant commercial buildings, including vacant above ground floor premises, to residential use...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1641 and 1642 together. The Government’s ‘Town Centre First’ (TCF) Policy was launched by my Department and the then Department of Rural and Community Development in 2022, and provides a whole-of-government policy framework to address the decline in the health of towns and support measures to revitalise them. To drive the delivery of...

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

James Browne: Waterways Ireland is the North South Body responsible for the management and maintenance of more than 1000km of Ireland's inland waterways including the Shannon Erne Waterway. Waterways Ireland also manages and maintains the river Shannon, the Erne System, the Barrow, the Royal and Grand Canals and the Lower Bann Navigation. Waterways Ireland is funded by my Department and the Department...

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

James Browne: Tá na ceanglais reachtúla ábhartha lena rialaítear úsáid na Gaeilge i soláthar seirbhísí poiblí, lena n-áirítear i gceantair Ghaeltachta, leagtha amach go príomha in Achtanna na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 agus 2021. Tagann an reachtaíocht sin faoi chúram mo chomhghleacaí, an tAire Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail...

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

James Browne: The Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) funding provides up to 100% capital funding to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the construction and targeted acquisition of housing for priority needs categories. While there have been no changes to the fundamental operation of CAS regarding the funding for priority needs categories nor the introduction of a prohibition on CAS acquisitions,...

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

James Browne: The development of the lands at Oscar Traynor Road is a strategically important element of Dublin City Council's social and affordable delivery programme, involving the delivery of 853 social, cost rental and affordable purchase homes with accompanying community and crèche buildings in multiple phases. It involves delivery of 343 social homes, 340 cost rental homes, and 170 affordable...

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

James Browne: My Department publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR), on a quarterly basis. The CSR provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 1 2025. All CSRs are available at the...

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

James Browne: My Department currently supports on-going activity and projects under the Social Housing National Regeneration Programme in the cities of Dublin, Cork and Limerick and the counties of Sligo and Kerry. To date no submissions have been received by my Department for regeneration projects in the Dublin North West Dáil constituency area for any of the years 2020 to 2025. My Department...

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

James Browne: Within the Programme for Government 2025 – Securing Ireland’s Future, a commitment was specifically made to continue to accelerate social housing regeneration schemes in Dublin. My Department remains committed to supporting regeneration across towns and cities. The prioritisation and project plans for the regeneration of estates and flat complexes in Dublin City and other...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1666 and 1667 together. Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the 2000 Act), all development, unless specifically exempted under the Act or associated Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended (2001 Regulations), requires planning permission. Section 5(1) of the 2000 Act, provides that “if any question arises as to...

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

James Browne: In accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000 all development to which the Act applies requires planning permission, unless it is specifically exempted under the provisions of the Act or associated Regulations made thereunder. My Department currently has no plans to undertake work on planning guidelines for gaming arcades and I am satisfied that such matters are most...

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

James Browne: A review of the current Exempted Development Regulations is ongoing and a wider public consultation on exempted development regulations will be undertaken shortly. Members of the public, State bodies and other concerned parties will be able to make submissions in writing as part of the consultation process.The Government cannot pre-empt the outcome of any consultation and therefore no...