Results 681-700 of 6,997 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Weather Events (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: My Department undertakes the Lead Government Department role, as set out in the Strategic Emergency Management (SEM) Framework (2017), in relation to the coordination of national level responses to severe weather and flooding emergencies, where warranted. My Department's National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management undertakes this role and works closely with local authority Severe...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Weather Events (18 Feb 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. The amount of rates liable on a property is determined by multiplying the valuation of the property set by Tailte Éireann by the Annual Rate...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Bodies (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The Strategic Action Plan for the Renewal of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) 2022-2024, approved by Government in May 2022, committed to establishing a Stakeholder Forum. No such commitments were made to establish a Nature Advisory Council and in that regard, the Government has no plans to establish one. An Independent Advisory Committee to guide the drafting of the Nature...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2024 was enacted on 12 July 2024 and came into operation on 19 July 2024. The Act amends the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 with the key aim of limiting to not more than 41 weeks, the duration of a tenancy or licence in student specific accommodation, other than at the request of the student. My Department and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The ongoing management and maintenance of Approved Housing Body (AHB) properties is a matter for the each AHB in conjunction with the relevant local authority, in this instance South Dublin County Council. AHBs are regulated by the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority and fall under the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board. AHBs are subject to the Residential Tenancies Acts...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (18 Feb 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. Eligible households can source their own accommodation in the private rental sector which should be within the HAP rent limits provided to them by the local authority. Each...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: Homeless HAP is an adjunct to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme rather than a separate scheme in itself. It comprises additional financial supports and access to the Place Finder service. The administration of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a matter for the relevant local authority and HAP application processing times may vary across local authorities. Once a HAP...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: My Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, to assist people 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 Housing Aid for Older People Grant, are funded by my Department with a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Properties (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Properties (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: Under my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, funding is available to local authorities and approved housing bodies to deliver new build social housing stock through direct construction or in partnership with developers through 'turnkey' projects. My Department does not hold undeveloped sites. As independent corporate entities, local authorities have the power to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation (18 Feb 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 local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities. While...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The declaration of qualification for posts in the local government sector is a power given to me as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage under section 160 (1) (a) of the Local Government Act. The declared qualifications for engineering posts in the local government sector specify that a candidate must hold an honours degree (level 8 in the National Framework of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (18 Feb 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. The Appeals Panel has been established to assess appeals made under the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the use of Defective Concrete (DCB) Blocks Grant Scheme. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Artificial Intelligence (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: In 2024 my Department consulted with Ernst and Young Business Consultants on the potential use of a Microsoft AI product, specifically Copilot for Power BI, to assess if this could enhance the flexibility and capability of the Housing For All reporting service that is available through the Insights data platform. My Department does not currently conduct any operations using artificial...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: Housing for All includes a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, completed in November 2021, it was recommended moving five local authorities from Band 3 to Band 2, ensuring the income eligibility thresholds better reflect housing costs in those counties. Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (18 Feb 2025)

James Browne: The Curlew Conservation Programme was established in 2017 to pioneer Curlew conservation efforts in Ireland. The programme was funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Annual reports are published on the NPWS website on the link below: www.npws.ie/farmers-and-landowners/schemes/curlew-conservati on-programme The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Mining Industry (13 Feb 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 199 and 200 together. I can confirm that I will arrange for the information requested to be forwarded directly to the Deputy. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive (Directive 2011/92/EU), as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU), and the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (the Espoo Convention) each...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (13 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: Local Authorities (13 Feb 2025)

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

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (13 Feb 2025)

James Browne: Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government, as set out in Pathway 4 of Housing for All. The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 of Housing for All and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. In April 2024, I published an...