Results 781-800 of 9,174 for speaker:James Browne

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

James Browne: The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published a research paper in February 2025, which explores the investment requirements for energy efficiency upgrades in the private rental sector. The research was funded by my Department, under a joint programme the Department operates with the ESRI. Based on the data sets available, the ESRI paper explores the energy efficiency...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1623, 1732 and 1739 together. The Housing Commission was established to consider housing policy post-2030 and make proposals building on Housing for All. It was also tasked with advising Government on the critical factors to be considered regarding a referendum on housing and, if appropriate, to recommend wording for a constitutional change. This was not...

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

James Browne: Supporting individuals and families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness is a priority for Government. Critical to addressing homelessness is increasing the supply of housing. A record level of capital investment is being provided in 2025 with overall capital funding available of almost €6.8 billion to support the delivery of social, affordable and cost rental...

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

James Browne: Local Authority (LA) gross expenditure is published annually by Local Authorities in their Annual Financial Statements (AFS) and the information is generally available on the individual Local Authority’s website. Each local authority is required to prepare an AFS by the end of March following year end and to publish it by the end of June. These financial statements undergo an...

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

James Browne: Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) are independent, not-for-profit organisations providing affordable rented housing for people who cannot provide housing from their own means and for particular groups, such as older people, disabled people or homeless people. The ongoing management and maintenance of Approved Housing Body properties is a matter for each individual AHB to decide and fund...

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

James Browne: The Night Time Economy (NTE) Implementation Group is led by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (DCCS) and aims to develop an innovative approach to supporting and developing a vibrant, diverse, and sustainable night-time economy in Ireland. As part of this group my Department is currently leading on Action 6 of the Night Time Economy Strategy to “examine the practical...

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

James Browne: In March 2022, Dublin City Council approved an application for the first phase of homes at the former Glass Bottle site. My Department has been working with Dublin City Council and the developers of the Poolbeg SDZ area to progress the delivery of social and affordable housing in this first phase of housing delivery, subject to agreement on the SDZ requirements and all the normal and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (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...

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

James Browne: There were 1,795.57 FTE staff serving in my Department at the end of June 2025. The information requested is broken down by grade stream as set out in the table below. Grade Stream Grade Equiv. Grade FTE General Service SECRETARY GENERAL 1.00 ASSISTANT SECRETARY 8.00 ...

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

James Browne: My Department has both in-house ICT staff and external resources available as required in relation to the delivery of ICT services including cybersecurity and crisis management. My Department does not comment on operational security matters as it would be inappropriate to disclose information that may in any way assist those with malicious intent.

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

James Browne: The Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended, sets out mandatory objectives for local authorities, which must be addressed in the drafting of their Development Plan governing local development policies. Where there is a Gaeltacht area within the planning authority’s administrative area, the development plan must include provisions and objectives for “the protection of 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: Departmental Data (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The Programme for Government commits to a new national housing plan to underpin delivery of more than 300,000 houses between 2025 and end 2030, including delivery of an average of 12,000 and 15,000 social and starter homes per annum over the period. This increased goal was largely based on the ESRI's research paper, "Population projections, the flow of new households and structural housing...

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

James Browne: Continuing to increase the supply of new homes is key to meeting need and addressing many of the challenges currently facing the housing market. Supply has increased significantly in recent years. Some 148,500 new homes have been delivered since the beginning of 2020, with 92,400 of these 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: Land Issues (29 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Responsibility for the zoning of land rests with the elected members of a local authority. This takes place primarily through the medium of the city or county development plan, but may also currently be provided for through a local area plan (LAP). In preparing their statutory plans, including in relation to the zoning of land for particular purposes, the elected members are required to...

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

James Browne: The cross-Government HfA Data Analytics Working Group was convened shortly after the publication of the HfA plan. This group is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and my Department has been a key contributing member since it was created. An action from the HfA Action Plan update published in November 2022 was to ‘Put in place an enhanced data platform’. To help us...

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

James Browne: Addressing vacancy and dereliction in order to provide increased delivery of new housing stock is a key priority for Government and a broad package of measures have been put in place to support increased housing supply and drive the regeneration of our town and city centres. Specifically to assist and encourage the conversion of commercial floorspace to residential accommodation, the...

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

James Browne: Turning vacant properties into occupied homes is a key pillar of the Government’s Housing for All Plan. The Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018, S.I. No. 30/2018, currently provide for an exemption from the need to obtain planning permission for the change of use of certain vacant commercial buildings, including vacant above ground floor premises, to residential use...

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

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1641 and 1642 together. The Government’s ‘Town Centre First’ (TCF) Policy was launched by my Department and the then Department of Rural and Community Development in 2022, and provides a whole-of-government policy framework to address the decline in the health of towns and support measures to revitalise them. To drive the delivery of...

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

James Browne: Waterways Ireland is the North South Body responsible for the management and maintenance of more than 1000km of Ireland's inland waterways including the Shannon Erne Waterway. Waterways Ireland also manages and maintains the river Shannon, the Erne System, the Barrow, the Royal and Grand Canals and the Lower Bann Navigation. Waterways Ireland is funded by my Department and the Department...