Results 1-20 of 7,615 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (12 Jun 2025)

James Browne: While the Planning and Development Act 2024 (Act of 2024) was enacted in October 2024, it is in the process of being commenced. The provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (Act of 2000), and associated Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (Regulations of 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: Departmental Funding (12 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The EU Nature Restoration Regulation entered into force on 18 August 2024. It sets out a framework for EU Member States to restore nature, with binding targets for a wide range of ecosystems including rivers, forests, oceans, urban and agricultural areas, as well as protected habitats and species throughout the State. Ireland has until 1 September 2026 to draft and submit a draft National...

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

James Browne: Local authorities are designated as the lead agency responsible for coordinating a response to severe weather emergencies. Each local authority has a severe weather plan in place. Local authority Severe Weather Assessment Teams monitor Met Éireann’s weather advisories and warnings, activating the necessary coordination structures, when required. My Department is designated as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Waterways Ireland (12 Jun 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. The detailed information requested in relation to Waterways Ireland's efforts to enhance biodiversity and habitat protection along the canal network in Co. Kildare is not held in my...

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

James Browne: My Department has not undergone recent renaming or re branding.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Cross-Border Co-operation (12 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department is currently working in close co-operation with other Government Departments North and South on a significant a number of cross-border and Shared Island initiatives, as set out below. Cross-Border Initiatives 1. The All-Island Climate and Biodiversity Research Network (AICBRN) brings together researchers from across the island of Ireland who are undertaking researching the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Cross-Border Co-operation (12 Jun 2025)

James Browne: The restoration of the Ulster Canal restoration is a major cross-border project funded by the Government, with the majority of funding coming from Shared Island Fund and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The project is being delivered by Waterways Ireland, in three phases, two of which are now complete: • Phase 1 from Upper Lough Erne to Castle Saunderson...

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

James Browne: The clear focus of this Government is to increase the supply of new build social and affordable homes. This is key to addressing the housing challenge and in particular preventing and ultimately eliminating long term homelessness, and that unquestionably must be the priority for all local authorities. The social housing PPP programme was announced in 2014 aiming to deliver circa 1,500...

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

James Browne: While the Planning and Development Act 2024 (Act of 2024) was enacted in October 2024, it is in the process of being commenced. The provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (Act of 2000), and associated Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (Regulations of 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: Departmental Policies (12 Jun 2025)

James Browne: My Department has embedded the requirement to adopt a standardised approach for all Social Housing projects through adoption of the Design Manual for Quality Housing and Employers Requirements. This is promoting a consistent approach nationally; it is decreasing the amount of time spent on reviewing proposals to achieve value for money; it is shortening detailed design phases; and it allows...

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...