Results 701-720 of 7,010 for speaker:James Browne

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...

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

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

James Browne: All applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. The prescribed social housing application form seeks various information about the applicant...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 208, 211, 212 and 218 together. On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs, including the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (13 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. Following updated cost reports from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) and advice from the Expert Group established to consider the matter, a further increase...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (13 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. As Ireland’s official Standards Body, The National Standards Authority Ireland (NSAI) has been tasked with the review of I.S. 465. The NSAI have published an update...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 213, 214, 215 and 216 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 of Housing for All and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties...

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

James Browne: Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) were introduced under Part 3 of the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 to moderate rent increases in those parts of the country where rents are highest and rising fastest. The Planning and Development Act 2024, extended the operation of these rent controls until 31 December 2025. In 2024 my Department completed a review of the...