Results 1,721-1,740 of 9,065 for speaker:James Browne

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: I am happy to engage with the Deputy if he wants to give me the information on any specific case he suggests has been delayed. There may be some confusion among some bodies who put in queries or applications, or whatever the case may be, in that they believe that because they have not got approval it somehow means a delay. The funding we have is being approved. We have been providing...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: Again, I thank the Deputy. I assure him I am over the detail in my Department. I think that some of the organisations presume that because they have an application in, they are entitled to funding or are automatically going to get funding. We are already providing record capital funding for this year, of almost €6.8 billion. There will be more spent. We encourage applications but...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: I thank Deputy Murphy for raising this important question on whether housing delivery is at risk because of challenges regarding the electricity grid. I am committed to building more homes in Ireland and to ensuring the housing needs of our society and economy are met. The Government’s revised housing targets, aiming for over 300,000 new homes by 2030, set a pathway to deliver on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: We are all aware that the high population growth and strong economic growth led to increased demand in terms of housing and also for our economy. Particularly with regard to delivering housing and the supporting infrastructure, there has been a growth in energy demand and the energy intensity required for modern manufacturing and large-scale servers. Delivering electricity infrastructure is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: I thank the Deputy for his question on departmental approvals for social and affordable housing. The Government is committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social, affordable and cost-rental homes at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment for the delivery of housing in 2025, with overall...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (15 May 2025)

James Browne: Housing for All includes a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, completed in November 2021, it was recommended moving five local authorities from Band 3 to Band 2, ensuring the income eligibility thresholds better reflect housing costs in those counties. Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: The regeneration of Poolbeg West is an important step in the transformation of the Dublin Docklands area, with the potential to provide for 3,500 homes. A condition of the planning scheme for the Poolbeg West Strategic Development Zone, as modified by An Bord Pleanála in April 2019, is the provision of 15% social and affordable homes on this site in addition to the 10% statutory social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Projects (15 May 2025)

James Browne: This Government has worked to increase resourcing to the heritage services in order to support Ireland's unique natural and historic resources. My Department’s key priorities for Heritage over the coming years include, but are not limited to: a continued programme of acquisition of additional areas of high nature value and key national heritage assets, supporting the EU Birds and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: In 2024, 10,595 new social homes were delivered, including 7,871 new-build homes, 1,501 acquisitions and 1,223 homes through leasing programmes. When the Housing Assistance Payment (8,121) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (1,576) are added, 20,292 housing supports were delivered in 2024. In relation to affordable housing, in 2024, 7,126 affordable housing solutions were delivered,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (15 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 21 together. My Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People scheme, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (15 May 2025)

James Browne: I am providing €325 million to local authorities in 2025 to buy second-hand properties with a particular focus on tenant-in-situ acquisitions. All local authorities have been informed of their specific funding allocations. Leitrim County Council and Sligo County Council has been allocated €2 million and €3 million respectively. To date Leitrim has not drawn down any of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Solar Energy Guidelines (15 May 2025)

James Browne: My Department notes the commitment in the Programme for Government 2025 – Securing Ireland’s Future to introduce planning guidelines for solar energy developments. In light of this commitment, my Department has begun an initial scoping process to identify the component factors relevant to the preparation of planning guidelines for solar energy development, including any...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Urban Development (15 May 2025)

James Browne: Overall responsibility for roads policy and funding for the implementation of transport strategies is a matter for the Minister for Transport. Nevertheless, the €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) provides part-funding to support certain applicant-led road projects, such as projects that enable the delivery of residential and mixed-use development. In that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (15 May 2025)

James Browne: The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government-backed mortgage for creditworthy applicants who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. It is a successor loan to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan. The loan can be used both for new...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (15 May 2025)

James Browne: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: Government is committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social, affordable and cost rental homes at scale. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment being provided for the delivery of Housing in 2025, with capital funding available of €6.8 billion. This is supplemented by a further €1.65 billion in current funding. My Department publishes...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (15 May 2025)

James Browne: The Land Development Agency is a key partner in the Government’s delivery of affordable and social homes. To ensure the delivery of homes, the LDA deploys two main approaches. Firstly, it secures housing delivery on lands sourced from State bodies, in partnership with local authorities or on lands purchased by the LDA. Secondly, it acts through the Project Tosaigh initiative, whereby...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (15 May 2025)

James Browne: The Programme for Government commits to continuing to support rural one-off housing. My Department is considering how best to proceed with updating the rural housing guidelines to bring this matter to a conclusion. The vast majority of one-off houses – well in excess of 90% - are built in rural settings. I wish to highlight that, notwithstanding the need for updated housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (15 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30, 64 and 74 together. Housing for All includes a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, completed in November 2021, it was recommended moving five local authorities from Band 3 to Band 2, ensuring the income eligibility thresholds better reflect housing costs in those counties. Government also agreed to increase the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Budgets (15 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 33 together. The Uisce Éireann Strategic Funding Plan 2025-2029 was approved in November 2024 and sets out an ambitious capital investment plan to make necessary improvements to water and wastewater infrastructure including new capacity to facilitate growth. The Strategic Funding Plan 2025-2029 includes the capital and operational costs...