Results 1,201-1,220 of 9,174 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he/she is responsible. The salary scale for an archaeologist in the local government sector is linked to the Executive Engineer Grade and ranges from €59,067 to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Infrastructure (8 Jul 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. The National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management (NDFEM), which is a section in my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Turf Cutting (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The Cessation of Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme was established in 2011 for active domestic turf cutters arising from the restrictions on turf cutting on 53 raised bog special areas of conservation and was extended in 2014 to include 36 raised bog natural heritage areas. Eligible applicants on raised bog Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) where turf cutting ceased in 2011 will...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 529 and 530 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Housing for All places an emphasis on the development of emergency accommodation through local authority or Approved Housing Body (AHB) owned facilities. Such developments will include the acquisition of existing properties for conversion, and land or sites to develop purpose built facilities, using the capital funding streams available to local authorities and AHBs. Looking to the future,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme is targeted at those households in mortgage arrears that have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process. In order for a borrower to qualify for the MTR scheme, the mortgage, property and household must meet the eligibility criteria, including being eligible for social housing support. A...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: My Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis on the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by local authorities. These reports are based on data provided by local authorities, produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). The monthly homelessness report includes details of individuals,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 535 to 537, inclusive, together. Under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he/she is responsible. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: My Department has made €325 million available to our local authorities for their overall social housing second-hand acquisitions activity in 2025. To date, local authorities have drawdown only 30% of the allocated funding available and no local authority has exhausted their individual allocated funding. Funding for social housing acquisitions activity in 2026 and beyond is being...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. Staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: The First Home Scheme, which launched in July 2022, is a shared equity scheme, designed to help bridge the gap for eligible first-time buyers, eligible homebuyers, and self-builders, between their deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home (within price ceilings established across the country). Full details are available on the First Home Scheme website, www.firsthomescheme.ie/ ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (8 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: Housing Schemes (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 547 and 548 together. My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis for social housing delivery, including numbers of completed social housing acquisitions by local authorities. Those statistics show that 1,829 such acquisitions were completed in 2023 by the local authorities, with 1,081 of these being tenant in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 549 and 550 together. The funding of local authority acquisitions, including tenant in situ, is in the main through my Department's Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP). The table below set out the funding provided to local authorities under SHIP for their acquisitions activity, including those for tenant in situ which was introduced in 2023. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 551 and 552 together. The funding of local authority acquisitions, including tenant in situ, is in the main through my Department's Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP). The table below sets out the average purchase price of a property purchased under the tenant-in-situ scheme from the initiation of the scheme in 2023. The delivery numbers for Q1...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (8 Jul 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 553 and 554 together. My Department undertakes the Lead Government Department role, as set out in the Strategic Emergency Management (SEM) Framework (2017), in relation to the coordination of national level responses to severe weather and flooding emergencies, where warranted. My Department's National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Ireland (3 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Waterways Ireland is a North South Implementation Body established under the British Irish Agreement of 10 April 1998. It is funded by my Department and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland as Sponsor Departments. Delegated expenditure limits for the body have been agreed by the Sponsor Departments, the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland and the Department of Public...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (3 Jul 2025)

James Browne: On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs, including the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electoral Commission (3 Jul 2025)

James Browne: Section 23 of the Local Government Act 2001 empowers the Minister to divide a local authority area into local electoral areas and to amend those areas. However, in advance of deciding to make an order under section 23 of the 2001 Act, the Minister must, in accordance with section 32(2) of the Local Government Act 1991, request An Coimisiún Toghcháin to prepare a report having regard...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (3 Jul 2025)

James Browne: In line with a commitment under Housing for All, my Department undertook a review of the private rental market, published in July 2024. One of the key recommendations was that a comprehensive examination of the current Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) system should be undertaken. This review, carried out by the Housing Agency and submitted to my Department at the end of April, assessed the...