Results 841-860 of 9,065 for speaker:James Browne

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I fundamentally agree. We will engage with the SEAI. We will look at it in our Department to see what can be facilitated. As I said, repairs and second-hand boilers are permitted. I assure the Deputy that there will be no unspent money. There is high demand under these schemes and if money is not used for boilers, I have no doubt it will be drawn down for-----

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The Deputy is saying that even when someone applies for the subsidy, the cost of a home within the M50 is still beyond what is affordable for many couples. We are continuing to examine Croí Cónaithe cities. We are looking to work with the LDA, and the LDA is working with Dublin City Council on that. We are taking measures around viability but we need to ensure we have measures on...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I agree with the Deputy.

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I am surprised that the Deputy is shocked by my comments, particularly because it is not the first time I have said it. I have said it quite publicly in recent times. That is just analysing matters and looking at what a number of bodies, such as the ESRI, have said. If I was coming in saying something else, the Deputy would rightly accuse me of not being realistic. That is what I have to...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: In regard to affordability, my understanding is those properties on Old Mallow Road are brand-new, A-rated homes. There will always be a cost for new homes versus second-hand homes. That may be the case. I will look into the particular scheme. The Deputy understands he cannot expect me to come in here and know every scheme in the whole country.

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I agree with the Deputy. My view is that leaving sites derelict is antisocial behaviour. I praise those local authorities that are being very active in collecting the site levies. It also boosts their income. I am highly critical of local authorities that are not doing it because not only are they missing out on an income that could be spent elsewhere in the local authority and failing...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I do that regularly.

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: We have a CPO activation programme. We have given funding under round 3 of the URDF to local authorities to CPO properties as well. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to examine the CPO process to see how we can make it more effective and efficient. Again, a little bit like the four-stage process we are getting rid of, I find some local authority CEOs are very effective...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I am acutely aware of the impact on those children who are living in homelessness. Homelessness does have a real impact on them mentally, physically and in terms of social development. That is why I am doing everything I can to get housing moving in this country. The only way we will address homelessness, high rents and the high cost of homes is by getting supply going as quickly as...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: -----and we increased that to €320 million.

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: In terms of Cork city there had been only a 42% drawdown of the funding for the tenant in situ scheme.

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I want to ensure there are no children going into homelessness. We have already had a record number of preventions of families and others going into homelessness and record numbers of exits. We want to get to a point where nobody is going into homelessness any more. The tenant in situ scheme is an important part of that, as is homeless HAP, the new social housing stock and turning voids...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I thank the Cathaoirleach. On the supports of the Department for local authorities to bring voids back into use, a local authority can spend as much as it wants on any house but it is given €11,000, on average, per property. That was a decision by the Government to provide some additional supports to local authorities. Theoretically, local authorities are meant to bring the...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I have not considered compulsory sales but believe the derelict sites levy drives compulsory sales in the sense that it could make sense to sell a property rather than-----

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I agree that is a problem. It is one I am very much focused on tackling. I am examining several options to ensure derelict sites are used. I take a very strong view on antisocial behaviour on foot of having derelict properties around the place. It is such a waste. There are people who need and want the properties and who would use them. Whether one comes from a Marxist perspective or a...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The numbers behind that in terms of social and affordable housing being delivered are sustainable. Ideally, one would see more. However, as a percentage, it is not sustainable because we need to deliver much more housing. We need to get up to 50,000 homes and even beyond. We need to activate the private sector in this regard. If we get up to 50,000 or 60,000 homes or beyond, the State...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The last round of the URDF was URDF 3, which was in 2023. It very much focused on derelict sites, compulsory purchase orders and bringing properties in local authority town centres back into use for local authorities to keep or to sell on. It was a self-replenishing fund in that respect. Previous to that, URDF 2 was announced between the end of 2020 and the start of 2021, which provided...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: We do not really look at it from a percentages perceptive. That is probably just to highlight the fact that there is a serious shortage of private delivery. We have our social and affordable housing targets, which are in more raw numbers. That is what we are aiming for, regardless of where those targets fall as a percentage. We want to encourage as much sensible, sustainable private...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: There were more than 30,000 homes last year. We need to get to 50,000 homes and beyond. The vast majority of those homes will need to be delivered by the private sector. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is spending approximately 30% - close to one third - of all capital funding. Considering all the demands in healthcare, education, transport, climate and everything...

Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 16 - Tailte Éireann (Revised)
Vote 23 - An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Revised)
Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I agree with the Deputy’s earlier comment. We want to get away from turnkey developments. We need to be plan-led in terms of social and affordable homes. That is certainly where we need to get to because it would be more efficient, cost effective and allow the private sector to make those homes available in the private sector. I certainly agree with the Deputy in that regard. That...