Results 1,461-1,480 of 9,065 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Inquiries (12 Jun 2025)

James Browne: Local authorities are responsible for the identification of the social housing need in their area. Local authorities are best placed to make decisions on potential sites for development and therefore it is a matter for individual local authorities to identify suitable sites in line with local circumstances and their social housing development policy. Through the supports made available...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (12 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department supports staff who wish to attend training courses in preparation for appearances before Oireachtas Committees. These courses give participants the skills, techniques and confidence to be more effective witnesses in front of any Oireachtas Committee. The attached schedule details the amount expended by my Department on training, simulations and advice in advance, relating...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (12 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department provides funding to local authorities under the Disabled Persons Grants scheme to carry out works on social housing stock to address the needs of older people, people with a disability or overcrowded situations. Typical works include adaptations such as stair-lifts, level deck showers, ramps and grab rails, widening door opening widths and improving circulation spaces....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Policies (12 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 386, 387, 388, 389, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394 and 395 together. The statutory provisions governing the preparation and adoption of Local Area Plans (LAPs) by planning authorities are primarily found in sections 18, 19 and 20 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). The Act provides for the preparation of LAPs on both a discretionary and mandatory...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Conservation (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a territorial ground-nesting bird of prey that typically breeds in open upland bog, heather moorland, and their associated habitats. The declines reported in the 2022 National Hen Harrier Breeding Survey are extremely concerning, and in July 2024, Government adopted the Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan (HHTRP), a significant milestone in ongoing efforts to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) aims to retrofit a local authority home to a minimum BER rating of B2. It is expected that 36,500 local authority owned homes will be retrofitted under this programme between 2021 and 2030 inclusive. €90m is available to the programme in 2025 to upgrade approximately 2,500 homes. The table below indicates the average cost recouped to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: A list of the email and phone numbers for the key offices within my Department is available on my Department's website at this link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-her itage/organisation-information/contact-the-dept-of-housing-l ocal-government-and-heritage/ Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department had no capital project, which had a contract for IT services in excess of €1million, that failed to reach completion. No costs related to ICT projects have been written off in the years 2022, 2023 and 2024. My Department does not hold the requested information in respect of the State Bodies under its aegis. Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department did not have any capital projects in excess of €5 million which ran over cost in 2023. My Department does not maintain the requested information in respect of the state bodies under its aegis. Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Planning and Development Act 2024 (Act of 2024) was enacted on 17 October 2024. A detailed Implementation Plan has been published that includes a commencement schedule for the Act and a range of initiatives to support training and engagement for the planning sector in preparation of the phased transition to the new legislative framework. The Implementation Plan is a ‘living...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Measures (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The overall aim of the Urban Development Zone process under Part 22 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 is to provide for an updated and more flexible approach to the masterplanning and delivery of areas with significant potential for large scale development and the associated necessary infrastructure, replacing the provisions providing for the Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) process...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Policy (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater body in the United Kingdom and Ireland, with an area of 383km² and a shoreline of 125 km in length. It is a cross border catchment with a surface area of 5,787km², with just over 6% (374km²) located within the Republic of Ireland. This large catchment encompasses around 43% of the land area in Northern Ireland and is home to over 40% of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Development (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: A flagship element of Project Ireland 2040, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was one of four funds established under the National Development Plan (NDP) 2018 – 2027. Launched in 2018 with committed Exchequer funding of €2 billion, the review of the NDP in 2021 extended the URDF programme to 2030. To date, there have been three rounds ('calls') of funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The Interim Remediation Scheme (Scheme) was opened in December 2023 for the funding of emergency fire safety defect works in apartments and duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. A total of €20 million was allocated to this area for 2025. The Scheme provides for the full funding of eligible interim measures in order to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The drafting of the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill is progressing. Various issues requiring legal advice are under consideration. The Bill is included in the Government Legislation Summer Programme 2025 and I intend to seek Government approval to publish shortly. Subject to this approval, the General Scheme will be made available to undergo pre-legislative scrutiny. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Electricity Supply Board (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Meetings (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: Under section 106 of the Local Government Act 2001, local authority borrowing must be agreed by the elected members of a local authority (by passing a resolution); and must be sanctioned by the appropriate Minister. In addition, as part of Ireland’s obligations under the Maastricht Treaty regarding general government deficit and debt and the requirements of the revised Economic...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (11 Jun 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. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Election Management System (11 Jun 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 176 to 178, inclusive, together. Local authorities, in their capacity as registration authorities, are responsible for the management and maintenance of the electoral register. It is the duty of each authority to ensure, as far as possible, and with the cooperation of the public, the accuracy and completeness of the Register in respect of its own...