And she resorts to the usual when I am making my comments, by trying to shout me down. We are well used to it. For those interested in trying to tackle the issues affecting our society, I have heard many good comments from across the floor. I will take them into account as I continue to develop policies. Taking on dereliction is a fundamental part of my role as I see it. That is why we are bringing in positive elemen…
TDs / James Browne
James Browne
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
0
questions asked
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them
145,875
words spoken in the chamber
145,131 as a minister, 744 as a TD
431
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
Members of the Government answer parliamentary questions rather than ask them, so this page lists none of theirs.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Contributions to debates 670 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
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| Month | Contributions |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 13 |
| March 2025 | 36 |
| April 2025 | 15 |
| May 2025 | 46 |
| June 2025 | 41 |
| July 2025 | 60 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 32 |
| October 2025 | 59 |
| November 2025 | 46 |
| December 2025 | 20 |
| January 2026 | 51 |
| February 2026 | 43 |
| March 2026 | 43 |
| April 2026 | 3 |
| May 2026 | 70 |
| June 2026 | 27 |
| July 2026 | 22 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 2 |
| October 2026 | 41 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 394 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Wexford 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage 23 January 2025 to now
Uisce Éireann Infrastructure Delivery, Accountability and Repair Timelines: Motion [Private Members]
I move amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that:
— the Government's vision for water services is set out in the Water Services Policy Statement 2024 to 2030 (February 2024), which sets out three main objectives; availability and reliability, safety and quality and sustainability, along with a series of related priorities for water services delivery in the …
I move:
That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft:
Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025,
a copy of which was laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 27th November, 2025.
I welcome the opportunity to discuss the draft regulations and to set out the rationale and reasoning behind their development. The draft Planning and Development (Exempted Developme…
I thank Deputies for their support for both of the exemption regulations I have moved this evening. The first is an exemption to allow commercial properties to be converted for residential purposes and to allow that exemption to last for another three years. We will be looking to make that a permanent change because it is absolutely crucial that we revitalise our rural communities, and urban areas as well. This is a …
I move:
That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft:
Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 2) Regulations 2025,
a copy of which was laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 9th December, 2025.
I move:
That Revised Estimates for the Public Services for the year ending 31st December, 2026, be presented to the Dáil and circulated to members, pursuant to Standing Orders 103(1)(a) and 222.
I move:
That Standing Order 194 is modified in accordance with Standing Order 241(2) to provide that it be an instruction to the Committee in relation to the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025, that the Committee has power to make amendments to the Bill which are outside the scope of the existing subject matter of the Bill in order to make amendments to the…
The purpose of this motion is to improve the building control regime that is in place to ensure the required standards for building regulations are met. These amendments will make certain that building regulations and building control regulations are further strengthened and clarified to the benefit of all stakeholders. In terms of the proposed regularisation process, the amendments provide for a process of regularis…
I thank the Deputy. I will respond to amendment No. 1, which proposes to amend the Short Title of the Bill. This amendment would render the Short Title of the Bill incomplete and imply that the Bill relates to other concrete products, not just defective concrete blocks. As the Deputy is aware, the function of the Bill is to amend sections of the principal Act that provide financial assistance to homeowners that have …
I move amendment No. 3:
In page 5, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following:
“(3) The Building Control Acts 1990 to 2020 and Part 3 may be cited together as the Building Control Acts 1990 to 2025.”.
Amendment No. 3 is a standard provision to allow for the collective citation of the Building Control Acts 1990 to 2025.
It refers to Part 3, which is the Part being inserted into the Bill by a later amendment …
The intention behind amendment No. 63 is to give flexibility to the Minister of the day, where new systems are being used, to be able to require additional information through regulations. I think that is reasonable to allow flexibility and not have to bring in amendments, as such. I am happy to accede to the Deputy's’ request that regulations will be brought before the committee for further scrutiny.
I will address amendments Nos. 5 to 7, inclusive, tabled by Deputies Ó Broin, Doherty, McGettigan, Conway-Walsh and Mac Lochlainn, and amendment No. 60, tabled by Deputy Ward.
On amendment No. 5, as the Deputies are aware the defective concrete blocks grant scheme is a grant scheme of last resort to provide financial assistance to affected homeowners to remediate their homes and move on with their lives. I therefore…
I will address amendments Nos. 22 and 46, tabled by Deputy Charles Ward. Amendment No. 22 proposes that a designated local authority should allow 30 days for an applicant to reply to a request for further information from the designated local authority relating to an application for an increase in the remediation option grant. It then requires a designated local authority to issue a reminder after this period has ela…
I have already explained this. Homeowners who completed remediation works prior to this date were provided for in the first set of scheme caps and rates. They were informed by the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland 2023 cost report. The updated report was to look forward and not to bring in retrospective elements to that. The rates that applied applied to transitional applicants from the previous scheme, often…
I seek clarity. Amendment No. 27 is not clear to me in what it proposes to amend. Section 8 of the Bill contains a new section 17A. This section 17A does not contain a subsection (4A). In the circumstances I cannot accept the amendment.
Amendment No. 33 proposes to remove the condition that a homeowner may only apply once for payment of an increased grant and this condition is contained in the Bill primarily in recognition of the fact that homes will be remediated under contracts covered by prices set within any 12-month period. It is also placed to reduce the administrative burden on designated local authorities in processing these payments under t…
I very much welcome this opportunity to come before the House to discuss the Government’s new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The development of this new housing plan was a commitment under the programme for Government. It reaffirms that housing is the number one priority for all arms of government, including local government, and expects that all people and organisations, whether public or priv…
I move:
That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft:
Planning and Development Act 2024 (Modification) Regulations 2025,
a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 18th November, 2025.
I welcome the opportunity to discuss the draft regulations and set out the rationale and reasoning behind their development. First, I wish to take this opportunity to provide a brief update …
The technical regulations before us do a very simple thing.
While the regulations before the House are very technical, what we effectively did was allow local authorities to commence variations under the existing 2000 Act as that is what they are familiar with, rather than commence the rest of Part 3 of the 2024 Act. As they have in some cases commenced certain variations, we need to have a transitional measure put in so that those variations that have commenced will not have…
I move:
That the proposal that Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft:
Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025,
a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 27th November, 2025, be referred to the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in accordance with Standing Order 103(5), which, not later than 17th December, 202…
I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
I welcome the opportunity to outline the provisions of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025. I have met many people the defective concrete blocks issue affects, particularly in the north-western region. I am here today because I have listened to their concerns and to the issues raised by local representat…
I thank the Deputy for this important question around targets for the delivery of cost-rental and affordable purchase homes by local authorities, approved housing bodies and the LDA under the Government's new housing plan.
Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of Government's housing policy, as embodied within the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030. Government is …
We have targets of 300,000 new homes overall, including 15,000 affordable homes annually, and each local authority is now working on their housing delivery action plans. They are looking at and working with their partners as well to ensure they can meet the Government's target of delivering homes. That is what we are doing and that is how we will deliver the homes.
We have not abandoned it. We have our key target of 300,000 new homes and 15,000 affordable homes. What we have learned over the last number of years is that we need to be flexible in figuring out exactly how we are going to manage to deliver the affordable homes that people need across this country. We do have a plan, which is clearly set out and was launched only very recently, with the methods and the means by whi…