Results 101-120 of 7,753 for speaker:James Browne

Emergency Action on Housing and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I want to set out some of these achievements that have been to date, but very much recognise that we are in a housing crisis. I am treating it as an emergency. I am taking rapid decisions to address the housing crisis in this country in order that people can get the homes they need where they need them. We will make bold decisions because that is what we have to do to get out of the...

Emergency Action on Housing and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: We will deliver more social and affordable homes. To get the numbers up to 50,000 or 60,000, however, we have to get the private sector to deliver. The State simply does not have that level of funding. The changes approved by Government last week regarding new policy measures to support the rental sector by strengthening tenancy protections and security of tenure will provide...

Emergency Action on Housing and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: ----- of a more focused and targeted programme-----

Emergency Action on Housing and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: ----- to ensure it benefits those who need it the most.

Emergency Action on Housing and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Government has supported, and will continue to support, a targeted second-hand social housing acquisition programme, which responds to the needs of the most vulnerable. The Government increased the 2025 budget for second-hand social housing acquisition programme from the €60 million available under Housing for All to €325 million. This has given local authorities the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Invasive Species Policy (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 492, 493 and 494 together. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department is responsible for the implementation of the Wildlife Acts and the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, both of which prohibit the spreading of invasive species. In addition, in July 2024, my Department led on the introduction of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) was commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023.The Appeals Panel has been established to assess appeals made under the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the use of Defective Concrete (DCB) Blocks Grant Scheme. The Panel...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Pollution (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Water Action Plan 2024 published by my Department sets out a roadmap to restore Ireland’s water bodies to ‘Good Ecological Status’ or better and to protect water from any further deterioration. This plan fulfils a legal obligation under the EU Water Framework Directive. In some instances, water bodies have been physically modified in the past to serve a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Approved Housing Body Strategic Forum process was established in late 2023 under Housing for All, with a mandate to examine the strategic challenges facing the sector, to work with key stakeholders to co-create a compelling vision for the sector's role in Ireland’s housing system in the decade(s) ahead and to identify a policy reform roadmap to underpin this vision. Led by my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Act 1981 & 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department purchases land for conservation purposes under various schemes (Peatlands, LIFE etc.) and on a case by case basis to expand and support the National Parks and Nature reserve network. A list of such lands purchased since 2020 is provided in the table below.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme is open to eligible tenants of local authority houses that are available for sale under the scheme. The scheme is underpinned by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015 (as amended). The regulations provide for a number of specified classes of houses to be excluded from sale,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Policy (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Water Action Plan 2024 published by my Department sets out a roadmap to restore Ireland’s water bodies to ‘Good Ecological Status’ or better and to protect water from any further deterioration. This plan fulfils a legal obligation under the EU Water Framework Directive. In some instances, water bodies have been physically modified in the past to serve a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Banking Sector (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department does not collect information on the operation on the mortgage market in Ireland. Questions relating to the operation of the commercial mortgage market should be directed to my colleague the Minister for Finance who has policy responsibility in this area. The role of my Department in mortgage origination is limited to the provision of the Local Authority Home Loan and the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: As detailed under Housing for All, the Government plans to deliver 54,000 affordable homes, including 36,000 affordable purchase and 18,000 cost rental homes, by 2030. A comprehensive implementation strategy is in place to support the various affordable housing schemes now being delivered by a range of delivery partners. Under Housing for All, two Affordable Purchase schemes have been...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The role of my Department in mortgage origination is limited to the provision of the Local Authority Home Loan and the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan, which are delivered by local authorities. Local authority lending for home purchase is designed to enable creditworthy first time buyers and fresh start applicants who have been unable to secure finance from commercial...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The 'Fresh Start' principle forms a key element in 'Housing for All' and is applied across a number of schemes of my Department which may apply to some buying their second home. The Fresh start principle, as defined in Section 10 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021, allows certain purchasers to be treated as First Time Buyers and be eligible to apply for the purchase of an affordable home....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Affordable Housing Act 2021 requires that where a person is married, in a civil partnership or in an intimate and committed relationship with whom they intend to reside in the affordable dwelling, the application for an affordable dwelling must be a made jointly. This requirement to apply jointly applies to other affordability initiatives such as the Local Authority Home Loan. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: Local authorities will always have a level of vacancy in their housing stock, which will fluctuate over time, as tenancy surrender and re-letting of stock is a continuous process. Therefore, ongoing data in relation to vacant local authority owned homes is not routinely collated by my Department. Notwithstanding that, statistics in relation to social housing stock, at a point in time, are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service (17 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department has been working with Galway County Council in relation to this project since 2016. The NPWS wrote to Galway County Council on 27 June 2023 and 22 May 2024 and comprehensively set out its views in relation to this project and this remains the position. Further correspondence was received from Galway County Council on 9 June...