Results 1,321-1,340 of 9,065 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jun 2025)

James Browne: Since the publication of the current Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines in 2005 (which continue to have effect in addition to subsequent clarifications and national policy changes in the National Planning Framework) there have been important changes to our planning system. Most notably, obligations under European Directives and international agreements relating to the management and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (26 Jun 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: Night-time Economy (26 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department participates in the Night Time Economy (NTE) Implementation Group, which is led by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (DCCS), and is currently leading on Action 6 of the Night Time Economy Strategy to “examine the practical implications for planning and other legislative codes to enable the potential for vacant buildings to be used for meanwhile...

Legislative and Structural Reforms to Accelerate Housing Delivery: Motion [Private Members] (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I thank colleagues for all their important contributions here today. I echo the comments made by the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, earlier and reassert this Government's commitment and determination to tackle the challenges in housing. Housing is a cross-sectoral challenge that has a real impact on people's lives. Our goal remains a housing system that serves the needs of our people....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Regulations (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Planning and Development Regulations 2001 transpose, and include, the classes of development requiring environmental impact assessment, or screening for environmental impact assessment, that are listed in Annex I and Annex II of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive. The Directive specifies projects which, by virtue of their nature, size or location, are likely to have...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wild Fires (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 and 110 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department collects and publishes programme-level statistics on affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and delivery partners in each local authority area. Data for the years 2022 up to Q4 2024 is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provis...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 113 together. The Programme for Government commits to the introduction of a new voids programme, to include mandatory voids frameworks for local authorities so as to improve turnaround time of vacant local authority housing stock. Work is underway in this regard within the statutory framework set out in section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, which...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provided for the development of a deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). However, significant changes have taken place in the rental market since this legislation was passed. It should be noted that, unlike many other jurisdictions examined, Ireland already has a well-established quasi-judicial dispute...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities to administer the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, which support older and disabled people living in private houses to adapt their home to meet their needs. The suite of grants, which include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 117 together. CAS funding of €2.1 million was provided to Approved Housing Bodies for the provision of 10 units of accommodation for careleavers in 2024. Care leaver accommodation is provided as a specific category under CAS, especially for those who have complex needs and are in danger of falling into homelessness with housing solutions...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: State Savings Schemes (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Government committed in January 2025 to introduce an all of government national housing plan to follow Housing for All, underpinned by a multi-annual funding commitment. As part of this, all Departments have been examining actions to further enable both the delivery and viability of housing. One of these areas has been an initial examination and consideration of whether and how a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Programme (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Residential Tenancies (No. 3) Bill 2024 was published on 24 July 2024, taking account of the Report of Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage on its Pre Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Bill. The Bill lapsed on 8 November 2024 upon the dissolution of the 33rd Dáil: www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2024/63/.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) replaced An Bord Pleanála on 18 June 2025 as 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, and certain other Acts. ACP has been working to address the backlog of cases...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Issues (25 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Water Action Plan 2024 published by my Department sets out a roadmap to restore Ireland’s water bodies (rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters) to ‘good status’ or better and to protect water from any further deterioration as required under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Currently there are 448 water bodies that are at risk of not achieving their...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Housing Schemes (24 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I refer to my reply to Question No. 310 of 19 June 2025 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Rental Sector (24 Jun 2025)

James Browne: Section 24 of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2025 (the RTA) defines 'market rent', in relation to the tenancy of a dwelling, to mean 'the rent which a willing tenant not already in occupation would give and a willing landlord would take for the dwelling, in each case on the basis of vacant possession being given, and having regard to— (a) the other terms of the tenancy, and ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Meetings (24 Jun 2025)

James Browne: As noted in my reply to Question No. 614 of 8 April 2025, I met with the Acting CEO of Gas Networks Ireland on 4 March 2025. While I have no immediate plans to meet the Acting CEO in the near future, officials of my Department maintain ongoing and appropriate contact with Gas Networks Ireland.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Urban Development (24 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Departmentrecently wrote to the Local Authorities and other key stakeholders to notify them of the commencement of Chapters 1 and 2 of Part 22 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 (Act of 2024). These legislative provisions set out the initial steps in a broader process concerning the designation of a candidate ‘urban development zone’ and ‘UDZ’, with...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Water Services (24 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I have considered the details of the application, including the recommendation received from the independent Expert Panel and made a final decision not to approve funding. The Rural Water Liaison Officer in Sligo County Council is best placed to provide specific advice and guidance to the group water scheme concerned.