Results 61-80 of 9,065 for speaker:James Browne

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

James Browne: My Department has recently written to local authorities advising them of additional funding capacity and flexibility under the 2025 Second Hand Acquisitions Programme. This includes an additional €50 million secured on foot of the recently concluded National Development Plan discussions, bringing the funding available this year to €375 million. The additional funding is...

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

James Browne: The Revised National Planning Framework (NPF) was finalised and approved by Government and the Oireachtas in April 2025. The Revised NPF strategy sets out the need to plan for a projected population of at least 6.1m people in Ireland by 2040. Taking into account ‘pent-up’ demand, the strategy sets out a need to plan for the delivery of approximately 50,000 additional housing...

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

James Browne: The Programme for Government commits to building on the successes of Housing for All and ramping up supply to deliver over 300,000 homes between 2025 and 2030. Supply has increased significantly in recent years, with 140,000 new homes delivered since July 2020. Some 92,400 of these were 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: Water Services (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 100 together. The Programme for Government commits to establishing a new procedure for large developments where Developers can meet with local authority planners and Uisce Éireann on site to iron out issues at preplanning stage. My Department has commenced discussions with Uisce Éireann in the first instance on the implementation of this...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29, 72 and 101 together. Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy. As detailed under Housing for All, the Government is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver affordable housing at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. The Government’s...

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

James Browne: Continuing to increase supply is key to meeting need and addressing many of the challenges currently facing the housing market. Increasing supply will help moderate house price growth and ease affordability challenges. Supply has increased significantly in recent years, with 92,400 new homes delivered between 2022 and 2024 inclusive, exceeding the combined target for the period by 5,400...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Energy Rating (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 47 together. In 2021 a new holistic approach was applied to the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP). Designed around the Programme for Government's commitment, led by the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications, it calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a minimum B2 BER Rating standard by 2030, of which approximately...

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

James Browne: The National Planning Framework (NPF) fully supports the sustainable development of rural areas and the need to ensure that they continue to be viable places in which to live. Statutory county development plans currently provide planning policies for the development of new housing in rural areas including, as appropriate, housing within villages and smaller rural settlements. In this regard,...

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

James Browne: Government is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social homes at scale and to continue accelerating social housing supply. 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...

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

James Browne: The Government is acutely aware of the housing challenges faced by many sectors of society. The Government's current housing plan, Housing for All, contains a suite of actions that have increased, and will continue to increase, the provision of housing through accelerating supply and increasing the affordability of homes. The 2025 Programme for Government includes a commitment to target...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Oct 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 now allocated by Government of almost €7.5 billion. The...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38, 39, 120, 125 and 129 together. My Department's social housing Second Hand Acquisitions Programme is an important part of Government's policy response to support households in precarious housing situations. Generally, it operates on a uniform basis across all local authorities, funding acquisitions that support tenancy sustainment (tenant in situ),...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Turf Cutting (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The EU Directive on the Conservation of Habitats, Flora and Fauna (92/43/EEC), commonly known as “the Habitats Directive” requires Member States to select sites, for the protection of habitats and species which are considered threatened in the EU territory and listed on the annexes to the Directive. Annex I of the Habitats Directive includes priority habitats such as active...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 123 together. Addressing homelessness is a priority for my Department and for the Government. Ireland signed the Lisbon Declaration in June 2021, which committed all signatories to work towards ending homelessness by 2030. I will continue to work with the National Homeless Action Committee to ensure an all of Government approach to drive the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 45 and 131 together. Placing a pause on all wind energy developments is not being considered at present. The 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines remain in force, pending the finalisation of any revised guidance in this regard. At the local level, the city and county development plans set out where development is acceptable including wind energy...

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

James Browne: Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of this Government’s housing policy. Since 2021 over 14,500 affordable housing supports have been delivered by a range of delivery partners through the various affordability measures in place. Under the Programme for Government published in January 2025, the Government has committed to introduce a new, all of government,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (8 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Cost Rental Equity Loan funding Scheme is available to Approved Housing Bodies to provide affordable rented accommodation to those who meet the income eligibility requirements for cost rental homes. The nature of the Cost Rental model means that Cost Rental homes are advertised and made available at a certain rent level, which is needed to cover the costs of delivery and provision. Cost...

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

James Browne: My Department has provided funding approval for Ros a Mhíl and Eanach Mheáin social housing developments under the Capital Assistance Scheme, with initial funding already provided for the purchase of the relevant sites. In the meantime, the respective projects, which were to be developed by a local Approved Housing Body, have encountered difficulties. Feasibility studies...

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

James Browne: The Local Government Reform Act 2014 dissolved 80 town councils which represented just 14% of the population. The previous town council system also led to duplication both in administrative and electoral terms. Instead, the Act saw the introduction of 95 municipal districts, representing 100% of the population, in 25 of the 31 local authorities at sub-county level, while area committees would...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 78 together. The development of the lands at Oscar Traynor Road is providing very significant additional housing in Dublin city, involving the phased delivery of 853 social, cost rental and affordable purchase homes with accompanying community and créche buildings. Dublin City Council (DCC), as housing authority, is responsible for the...