Results 701-720 of 9,065 for speaker:James Browne

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

James Browne: Government maintains a strong focus on the use of vacant and underutilised relevant public land for housing having agreed the transfer of 37 sites to the Land Development Agency (LDA) for the development of affordable and social housing. Relevant public land is land owned by a relevant public body, being a local authority, Government Minister or state body listed in Schedule 1 and 2 of...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1672 and 1679 together. My Department has made €325 million available to our local authorities for their overall social housing second-hand acquisitions activity in 2025. To date, overall, local authorities have only drawdown 36% of the allocated funding available and no Local Authority has exhausted their individual allocated funding. Mayo County...

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

James Browne: Tailte Éireann is an independent Government agency under the aegis of my Department. Tailte Éireann provide a property registration system, property valuation service, and national mapping and surveying infrastructure for the State. Under Section 8(6) of the Tailte Éireann Act 2022, Tailte Éireann is independent in the performance of its functions. It is understood from...

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

James Browne: Action to deal with anti-social behaviour and criminality is primarily a matter for An Garda Síochána. Local authorities are responsible under the Housing Acts 1966 to 2021 for the management and maintenance of their housing stock and the management of their estates, including taking appropriate measures to counter anti-social behaviour. Section 35 of the Housing (Miscellaneous...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (29 Jul 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: Construction Industry (29 Jul 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. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment which is being provided for the delivery of Housing in 2025, with overall capital funding available of €6.8 billion. The capital provision is...

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

James Browne: Local authorities are required to submit an annual return to my Department providing information on the implementation of the Vacant Site Levy under the provisions of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 in their functional areas. The most recent progress report on the implementation and collection of the Vacant Site Levy by each local authority was collated in mid - 2024. This...

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

James Browne: My Department did not issue funding allocations to local authorities for second-hand acquisitions activity in 2003 or 2024, rather each local authority was provided with an allocation for the number of acquisitions to be supported. For 2025 I have made €325 million available to our local authorities for their social housing second-hand acquisitions activity. The allocation of this...

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. The following table shows regeneration projects submitted to my Department, approved or under review through the Social Housing National Regeneration Programme over the last five years. - Limerick Cork City Dublin City ...

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. The table at the following link shows funding provided to local authorities through the Social Housing National Regeneration Programme over the last five years. Additional funding for 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: Vacant Properties (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1684 and 1685 together. Waterways Ireland is a North/South Implementation Body established under the British Irish Agreement of 10 April 1998. It is funded by my Department and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The matters raised are operational matters for Waterways Ireland, who hold the relevant, detailed information in relation...

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

James Browne: In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, the role of my Department is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist housing authorities in providing accommodation for Travellers, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding. The Act provides that housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment...

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

James Browne: Consistent with the provisions in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is considered to be a social housing support and consequently households in receipt of a payment under the HAP scheme are not eligible to remain on the main housing waiting list. However, acknowledging that some households on the waiting list, who avail of HAP, may...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1688 and 1691 together. 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...

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 grant...

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 grant...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1692 and 1698 together. 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, published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. In...

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

James Browne: My Department initiated a review of the Derelict Sites Act in November 2021 and invited local authorities to make initial submissions on potential improvements to the legislative provisions and the way they are applied. Discussions on the review are ongoing and it is intended, in the context of related policies, legislative amendments and funding schemes that have been developed since the...