James Browne

I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of expectations for the delivery of affordable housing in 2025. I also thank him for his ongoing engagement on this issue, which is one he campaigned very strongly on. The Government is fully committed to delivering affordable housing at scale and continuing to accelerate housing supply across all tenures. In 2024, more than 7,000 affordable hous…

I thank the Deputy again for raising this question. It is a matter he has worked very hard on and has campaigned on to ensure we can have those affordable homes, which are an essential part of our housing delivery and to ensure we have private homes people can afford to buy, affordable homes people can access, and social homes across the spectrum so everybody has access to a home they can afford. …

The Deputy is rightly passionate about keeping our young people in this country and providing affordable homes as a key solution to keeping young people here. That is what we want to deliver, and we want to accelerate the number of affordable homes that are being delivered. It is certainly something I regard as extremely important. I am working with each local authority to ensure that those afford…

I thank Deputy Daly for raising this important question in relation to Roscommon County Council and the funding allocated for the tenant in situ scheme for 2025. I thank the Deputy for his ongoing engagement in relation to this important issue. The Government is providing continuing and substantial financial support to local authorities to acquire second-hand properties for priority categories of…

I thank Deputy Daly again for raising this very important question. In relation to Roscommon County Council's acquisitions from 2020-2024, the annual acquisitions funding provided for Roscommon for that period was €1.8 million, with €2 million funding provided for them in 2025. During the period of 2020-2024, my Department provided €8.9 million to Roscommon County Council for the delivery of 57 ac…

I thank Deputy Daly and, indeed, I am always happy to go to Roscommon. I have asked our local authorities to use the full range of options for tenants in situ who have received a notice of termination. Acquiring the landlord's property is one option but it is not the sole option. In some cases, local authorities might use the thousands of new social allocations that they make each year to provide …

I thank Deputy O'Meara for raising the important question around the expansion of the provision of modular housing. I thank the Deputy for his ongoing work and engagement in this important area of housing delivery. My Department, working closely with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and other relevant stakeholders, is progressing work to increase delivery capacity in the resident…

I thank the Deputy for his passion and determination regarding the provision of housing solutions in his county and across the country. The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, has been working hard and has come up with significant proposals on log cabins. There will be a consultation next week, led by the Minister of State, about that matter, particularly as it is being worked on. We will continue …

I thank Deputy O'Meara for raising this important issue. I am legally precluded from commenting on any particular planning cases. As already stated, the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, is leading the public consultation. That consultation will commence next month as opposed to than next week. The Minister of State has already completed the interdepartmental consultation process, so his work on …

That is a different-----

I thank the Deputy. His question relates to the urgent review of the cut in funding for the social housing acquisition programmes, given its negative impact on key homelessness schemes such as the tenant in situ and housing first. Tenant in situ acquisitions have been an important measure in the prevention of homelessness since their introduction in 2023. The Government has therefore agreed to co…

I take the housing first programme very seriously. I engage with my officials daily in relation to homelessness, in particular, which is an absolute priority for me, both preventing people going into homelessness and people exiting homelessness. The housing first programme for people who have particular difficulties is something I am very aware of and have dealt with both as a TD and now as Minist…

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions. I echo the comments made by the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and reassert the Government's commitment to tackling challenges in the housing sector and with regard to critical infrastructure. We know these challenges are having a very real impact on people's lives. We understand the urgency and the need to ensure sufficient homes are delivered…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the Final Draft Revised National Planning Framework, as approved by the Government on 8th April, 2025; a copy of which was laid before Dáil Éireann on 22nd April, 2025 together with the Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report, the Post-Consultation Natura Impact Statement, the Post-Consultation Strategic Flood Risk Assessment Report, and the Appr…

The housing adaptation grant was increased. The grant is very important, and we will be keeping it under review as we move forward.

I welcome the opportunity to reflect on the tremendous progress that has been made in water services in Ireland and the ongoing efforts of the Government and Uisce Éireann in this area. I assure the House that securing a safe and reliable water supply is a top priority for the Government, as is securing water services to facilitate housing development in all parts of the country. It is worth refle…

The Government opposes this Bill. I highlight the fact that the previous programme for Government included a commitment to introduce water conservation charges. Despite the commitment in that programme, Sinn Féin did not table any legislation to prohibit water conservation charges. Water conservation charges do not form part of the new programme for Government, yet we now see Sinn Féin tabling thi…

When the previous Government proposed doing it, Sinn Féin did not bring forward any legislation because it was not on the front page of the national newspapers. Here, we have an opportunity for a little media attention, which is why Sinn Féin has jumped on it, even though it is the clear intention of this Government not to do so. The Government has no legal power to bring in water charges without …

There is no evidence of that.

They are already gone.

I have never heard such nonsense in my life.

The Deputy is confusing my frustration with the waste of time in this Chamber.

That was our position.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "acknowledges that: — Housing for All sets out an ambitious multi-annual programme that seeks to deliver more than 300,000 new homes between 2022 and 2030; — more than 133,000 new build homes were delivered between 2020 and 2024, with 92,500 of these delivered between 2022 and 2024, exceeding the Hou…

I condemn the reckless behaviour of the Opposition, a coalition of chaos determined not to serve the people but to sabotage the democratic functioning of this very House. Opposition Members' constant disruption of the Dáil is not protest but performance. It is a blatant attempt to undermine the very institution they claim to serve. Now, they stoop even lower, lodging a motion of no confidence in t…