The Department's budget package for 2026 sees some €11.275 billion allocated across my Department, Tailte Éireann and an Coimisiún Toghcháin. Housing capital investment has reached a record €9 billion. We have introduced a 29% increase for Uisce Éireann to advance water infrastructure and facilitate housing development. We have significantly increased our funding allocation of €563 million to support the essential pr…
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
Show as a table
| 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
I move:
That Dáil Éireann:
(1) approves the terms of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage done at Paris on the 6th November, 2001, a copy of which was laid before Dáil Éireann on 13th August, 2025,
(2) approves the making of a Declaration under Article 28 of the said Convention that the Rules of the Annex to the Convention will apply to activities directed at Underwater Cultu…
I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I have considered the Labour Party motion. The Government has presented its countermotion on child poverty and homelessness, which shows our determination to drive down the child poverty rates, increase supports for families and tackle family homelessness. We have outlined the significant progress we have made and reinforced our firm commitment to delivering more progress…
Would they cut money from our hospitals or from the roads budget?
Where are they going to take the money from?
Where are you going to take the money from?
You are not going to shut me down, so please let me say-----
I did not interrupt you, so let me-----
Look----
Thank you very much. We might look at the tenant in situ scheme. I am trying to square what Deputy Bacik said yesterday during Leaders' Questions, because the criteria in the circular I introduced earlier in the year put the focus on local authorities to prioritise families. The Deputy criticised that at the time. She said that single people were being singled out and left behind. Labour Party TDs did that. Yesterday…
-----because that circular prioritises families, which she criticised me for doing.
In relation to the Labour Party's motion, we have a demand-led tenant in situ scheme, which is what the Deputy wants. We have nearly 60,000 HAP and RAS tenancies. The Labour Party is well north of €20 billion, yet it has not quantified its position or said where that money will come from. Once again, it is more magic numbers, like th…
Those who warned the Labour Party about the mistakes it was making-----
Those who warned the Labour Party when it was in government of the crisis it was creating-----
-----in the context of turning too many houses into too few, what did it do? It criticised the likes of Peter McVerry instead of listening to those warnings. It did not realise what was happening. That is what it did-----
It is absolutely is extraordinary-----
Can I ask the Deputies to just read the circular that went out to the local authorities and realise what it does? It prioritises families. I know the Labour Party's motion does not talk about prioritising children because whichever of its researchers wrote probably did read it. I ask the Deputies to read it as well.
As I said, there has been €375 million for second-hand acquisitions already this year. That is what o…
That is what the Government and I are doing. We are also delivering more and more funding. Again, however, I ask the Deputies to put forward some numbers in the context of what they are proposing to do here. A few facts might actually help the situation.
This is a quick one for Sinn Féin. Its housing policy says to slash the tenant in situ scheme. The policy is available online. It is there in black and white. Sinn …
Tenant in situ was always meant to be a temporary measure, which is even recognised in Sinn Féin's housing policy.
It is extraordinary that as I try to speak for a few minutes-----
-----everybody has tried to shout me down.
-----because they do not want to hear facts. It does not suit the social media narrative pop-up to get the 30 seconds. They do not want to engage with the facts-----
-----or the figures.
That is the problem.
Look at your own housing policy-----
Look at your own housing policy.