Results 161-180 of 7,615 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commercial Rates (29 May 2025)

James Browne: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by Tailte Éireann under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2020. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. Information in relation to the collection of commercial rates is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (29 May 2025)

James Browne: An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is 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 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts. Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, the Minister is specifically precluded...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Planning Framework (29 May 2025)

James Browne: The final revised National Planning Framework (NPF) was approved by Government and both Houses of the Oireachtas in April 2025. This concluded the revision process and allows the revised NPF to take effect in the planning system. Updated Rural Housing Guidelines are currently being prepared by my Department. The updated guidelines will expand on the high level spatial planning policy of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Marine Protected Areas (28 May 2025)

James Browne: The Government is fully committed to the protection and preservation of our underwater cultural heritage as outlined in the Programme for Government. Work is currently underway within the National Monuments Service of my Department on a draft National Strategy to protect Ireland's underwater cultural heritage. It is anticipated that this will be ready for public consultation later this year....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Policy (28 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 235 and 254 together. Local authorities play a vital role in addressing the biodiversity emergency. The Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF) operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department provides funding to assist local authorities with the implementation of projects that promote actions in the 4th National Biodiversity...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 May 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 236 and 282 together. The Planning and Development Act 2024 was enacted in October 2024 and is in the process of being commenced. The provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and associated Planning and Development Regulations 2001 remain in force until the relevant sections of the Act of 2024 are commenced and the corresponding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 May 2025)

James Browne: The Government is providing continuing and substantial financial support to local authorities to acquire second-hand properties for priority categories of need including tenants-in-situ who have been in receipt of supports under HAP or RAS and who had received a Notice of Termination. For 2025, Government has increased the funding available for second hand social housing acquisitions from...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (28 May 2025)

James Browne: The Land Development Agency (LDA) is a key delivery partner in the Government’s delivery of affordable and social homes, co-ordinating housing delivery on relevant public lands within State control and activating key underutilised public sites to maximise housing delivery. Government maintains a strong focus on the use of vacant and underutilised public land for housing and has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 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 (28 May 2025)

James Browne: Government is fully 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 which is being provided for the delivery of Housing in 2025, with overall capital funding available of €6.8 billion. The capital provision is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (28 May 2025)

James Browne: The latest RTB/ESRI Rent Index in respect of Q4 2024 was published on 15 May. The Rent Index is designed to measure developments in rental prices faced by those taking up new tenancies and existing tenancies. The Rent Index report is the most accurate and authoritative rent report of its kind on the private rental sector in Ireland. Compared to other market monitoring reports produced for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (28 May 2025)

James Browne: I refer to my reply to Question No. 81 of 15 May 2025 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (28 May 2025)

James Browne: On 15 October 2024, my Department published a Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources to respond to capacity challenges in the planning sector. This Action Plan provides a detailed roadmap to increase the pool of planning and related expertise needed to ensure a planning system fit for future needs. It sets out 14 high-level actions that provide a coordinated pathway to ensure a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (28 May 2025)

James Browne: Through the Social Housing Investment Programme and the Capital Assistance Scheme my Department is providing continuing and substantial financial support to local authorities and approved housing bodies to acquire second-hand properties for priority categories of need such as tenants-in-situ who had received a Notice of Termination; properties that allow persons/families to exit homelessness;...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Protection (28 May 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: Housing Schemes (28 May 2025)

James Browne: My Department is continuing to providing substantial financial support to local authorities to acquire second-hand properties for priority categories of need, including tenants-in-situ who have been in receipt of supports under HAP or RAS and who had received a Notice of Termination. As was the case in previous years, local authorities are best placed to determine the most appropriate way...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Sites (28 May 2025)

James Browne: Whilst the question of the State acquiring some or all of the Dublin Central site surrounding the Moore Street area has been raised in recent years, the priority focus of government at present is the completion of the commemorative project underway at the national monument which is in state ownership at numbers 14 - 17 Moore Street. The cost of purchasing the remaining ten properties...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Heritage Council (28 May 2025)

James Browne: My Department provides annual funding to the Heritage Council. This has risen steadily over the last number of years, from €6.6m in 2019 to €18.8m in 2025. The table below sets out the cost of increasing the 2025 level of Heritage Council funding on the basis outlined, including a calculation of +2.2% based on the CSO's year-on-year rate of Consumer Price Index as of the most...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (28 May 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: Environmental Policy (28 May 2025)

James Browne: Incentivised community-led action by local action groups, landowners and farmers is a central plank of nature restoration, especially in an Irish context. In May 2025, I announced €2.9m in funding for 262 local biodiversity projects across all 31 local authorities through the Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF), that is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my...