Results 101-120 of 9,174 for speaker:James Browne

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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Addressing homelessness, and in particular homeless families and children, is a priority for my Department and for the Government. Critical to supporting households to exit homelessness is our continued investment in the social housing programme. Budget 2026 has continued the record level of investment in social housing, with €2.9bn in capital allocated to support the delivery of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such rent schemes is generally a matter for local authorities within broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’ ability to pay. Local discretion and flexibility are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Postal Voting (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Electoral law provides for postal voting for a number of different categories of people:whole-time members of the Defence Forces,members of An Garda Síochána,Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses/civil partners,electors living at home who are unable to go in person to vote because of illness or a disability,electors whose occupation, service or employment makes it likely...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The engagement of external consultants is generally for a limited time period to carry out a specific finite task or set of tasks that involve expert skills or capabilities that would not normally be available within my Department. As these skills are only required from time to time, it would generally not be efficient to retain them within my Department on a permanent basis. Due to the range...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: Under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, all local authorities prepare and submit a written report to their members by 30 April in each year, on allocations made under their allocation schemes in the preceding year. However, following the implementation of the Housing for All action to review available social housing allocation data sources, my Department commenced collecting...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Equipment (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: 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. I can say however that my Department operates processes and procedures to manage assets and that lost or stolen devices are managed appropriately. My Department also continues to work closely with the National Cyber...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Expenditure (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: My Department has not procured software or IT systems that were later deemed unfit for purpose. As part of procuring ICT systems, requirements elicitation is carried out to define the needs of stakeholders for a specific solution. This process is specifically carried out to ensure the IT system or software can be confirmed as being fit for purpose. My Department does not hold the requested...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 228, 229 and 230 together. On 10 June 2025, the Government approved policy measures including modifications to rent controls to come into effect on 1 March 2026 in order to boost investment in the supply of homes available for rent and keep existing landlords in the market. The changes agreed will also provide significantly stronger tenancy protections...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 233 together. The Government remains focused on growing the supply of much-needed rental accommodation by keeping existing landlords in the market and attracting new landlords, while ensuring strong and balanced tenancy protections for both tenants and landlords. The RTB's Profile of the Register shows that registered private tenancies and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (9 Oct 2025)

James Browne: The Government remains focused on growing the supply of much-needed rental accommodation by keeping existing landlords in the market and attracting new landlords, while ensuring strong and balanced tenancy protections for both tenants and landlords. In order to boost the supply of homes available for rent, the Government approved modifications to rent controls, to come into effect on 1...