Results 61-80 of 9,144 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Road Projects (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Programme for Government recognised the need to accelerate home building by unblocking infrastructure delays and coordinating investment in servicing zoned land. I have made significant progress in establishing the Housing Activation Office, which is central to achieving this objective. Senior specialists from Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks, the National Transport Authority,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Process of election of local authority members to regional assemblies is already contained in SI. No. 573/2014- Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014. Section 5(2) of the Order provides that every member of a regional assembly shall be appointed by the constituent local authority of which such person is a member. Section 5(3) provides for the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The requirements on regional assemblies to provide periodic updates to local authorities are set out in S.I. No. 573/2014 - Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014. Sections 38(1) and (2) of the S.I. provide as follows: 38. (1) A regional assembly may make such statements or reports on any matter relating to or arising from the performance of its...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: EU Bodies (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The process by which members are elected to the Committee of the Regions is that the General Secretariat of the European Council writes to Member States to ask that they submit names of candidates for their national delegations for the renewal of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) for the relevant period. The Irish delegation to the CoR consists of 9 full members and 9 alternate...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: 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 of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict, bringing the total grant available for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (14 Oct 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: State Bodies (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 627 and 628 together. An Coimisiún Pleanála 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 2024, the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) and certain other Acts. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: An Coimisiún Pleanála (the Commission) 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 2024, as amended, and certain other Acts. There are now more people working at the Commission than at any time...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 630 and 631 together. The average annual salary in An Coimisiún Pleanála is €73,493. Details of the numbers of employees paid across the top salary bands for An Coimisiún Pleanála are set out in tabular form below. Salary Range No. of employees €230,000 - €239,999 1 ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Bodies (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The cost of the rebranding/renaming An Bord Pleanála to An Coimisiún Pleanála was €76,921.47. The majority of the cost is made up of three components:Architects consultancy - €18,450: An Coimisiún Pleanála’s office is located beside the Luas line on Marlborough Street in Dublin, and changing the signage required consultation and coordination...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Issues (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: As Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, I have no function in the gathering or collating of data in relation to land prices, which are highly variable over time and are site and location specific. My Department does not have the information requested. The Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) mapping data which is published by Local Authorities identifies the location of zoned...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: My Department assesses, approves and records local authority social housing delivery on a project basis, rather than on the basis of individual unit types. As Social Housing Investment Programme funded construction projects by local authorities must, like all publicly-funded construction programmes, comply with the Infrastructure Guidelines (Public Spending Code) and Capital Works...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Renewable Energy Generation (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: An Coimisiún Pleanála (the Commission) 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 2024, as amended, and certain other Acts. There are now more people working at the Commission than at any time previously....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: State bodies under the aegis of my Department are independent in the performance of their functions and my Department does not collate or hold the specific information requested. My Department does however engage in a number of ways with the bodies under its aegis regarding the requirement to comply with all relevant business and financial reporting requirements. For example, an annual...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I refer to my reply to Question No. 269 of 7 October 2025 and advise the position remains unchanged.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: A cross-departmental steering group lead by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland was established in 2024 to develop embodied carbon methodology and to establish structures in line with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive to reduce carbon in construction materials for all new buildings. Following a stakeholder workshop and public consultation during the summer the final...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Under the National Adaptation Framework, my Department agreed to complete a Built Environment and planning scoping document. The National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA) was published by the EPA in June 2025 and the recommendations from this report have been included in the draft scoping document. Work to complete the document is continuing. Along with the Built Environment and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU/2024/1275) (EPBD) is the European Union’s main legislative instrument aiming to promote the improvement of the energy performance of buildings. The recast Directive, which was adopted by the European Parliament and Council, came into force in May 2024. The Directive requires transposition of the relevant Articles by 29th May 2026. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (14 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Ireland’s second statutory National Adaptation Framework was published by the then Department of Environment, Climate and Communications in June 2024, and was developed under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act of 2015, which was subsequently amended in 2021. As statutorily required by the National Adaptation Framework my Department has developed a sectoral adaption...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (9 Oct 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...