Every time I try to speak in this Chamber and it is something the Deputy does not like-----
TDs / James Browne
James Browne
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage
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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.
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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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| December 2024 | 0 |
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| February 2025 | 13 |
| March 2025 | 36 |
| April 2025 | 15 |
| May 2025 | 46 |
| June 2025 | 41 |
| July 2025 | 60 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
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| June 2026 | 27 |
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| 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
-----he tries to shout me down.
These are shouting tactics because they do not want to-----
This is a Chamber. The Deputy does not want to listen because he does not want me to say what I am saying.
Let me say what I am saying. May I speak?
Are you going to keep shouting me down?
The Deputies are not doing this House or anybody any favours-----
-----by constantly trying to shout me down.
I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach.
The funding stands available for the regeneration of Oliver Bond House. What the Department cannot stand over is a reduction in the number of homes. We will not fund a reduction in the number of homes.
The proposal includes a 30% reduction in the number of homes. There is not a net increase in the number of homes in this regeneration project.
Since 2015, the Department has spent over €500 million on regeneration projects across Limerick, Cork and Dublin, as well as providing additional funding for planned maintenance, voids programmes, energy efficiency upgrades and refurbishment works. The Government has made available substantial funding.
In terms of how we govern in this country, we govern in a way that we ensure we have a strong economy that benefits…
That is the reality of the position.
I move:
That Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft:
Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (Designation of Fingal and Wexford County Councils) (Parts of Administrative Areas) Order 2026,
a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 12th March, 2026.
I welcome the opportunity today to outline for Members the motion to designate parts of …
I thank all Members for their valuable contributions. I welcome the support for the designation of parts of Fingal and County Wexford. I will work with all sides of the House to ensure this decision is now acted on promptly, if supported. I commend the motion to the House and look forward to further engagement on this issue.
I welcome this discussion today and the opportunity to speak in full confidence in the Government and its leadership. There is no doubt the Dáil and every single one of us here, all of us elected representatives, are experiencing in our constituencies the impact of global political uncertainty on real people, families and businesses. Events that seem so far away geographically have a very immediate impact on everyday…
I thank the Deputy for his question in relation to my plans to address the month on month rise in homelessness. Addressing homelessness is a priority for my office, the Department and this Government. Our new housing plan is an integrated housing and homeless plan based on two key pillars: activating the supply of 300,000 more homes; and supporting people to have a home of their own.
Increased supply is key to addre…
I have already outlined the several of the measures we are taking. Through our national homeless action committee along with homeless organisations, we are developing new strategies around child and family homelessness, and there are also our programmes around other homeless prevention. What the Deputy does not mention when he mentions the 55,000 figure is how many we have prevented going into homelessness or how man…
I have set out numerous new measures we have announced in the past number of months to address homelessness. We know the only way we are ultimately going to address the housing, rental and homelessness crises is through increasing supply and not calcifying these crises in permanency, as is proposed by Sinn Féin with its measures. In the new tenancy legislation, we have some of the strongest, if not the strongest, ten…
That has now been brought in. The only way a landlord can increase their rent with an existing tenant leaving is if that tenant voluntarily leaves and the Deputy is very much aware of that as well. We have to drive the supply. The Deputy is finding all sorts of accusations in relation to our proposals but he is not putting any forward himself other than calcifying the crisis in permanency.
I thank the Deputy. Under Delivering Homes, Building Communities, the Government is targeting the delivery of 300,000 new homes by 2030, including 72,000 social homes and 90,000 affordable supports. The latest Central Statistics Office, CSO, figures released show that a total of 36,284 new dwellings were completed in 2025, an increase of 20% year on year, the highest annual total since the dataset years began in 2011…
I do not accept that the new legislation is going to drive up homelessness. We know that notices to quit are the single greatest driver of homelessness. We know that the average tenancy is about 3.6 years. The new six-year tenancies of minimum duration will, I have no doubt, drive that 3.6 years significantly longer and reduce notices to quit, with people coming in and needing housing under new tenancies.
In regard …
It was 9,089.
I do not think it can be glossed over that last year, we built the highest number of new-build social homes in the history of the State. What has to be understood is that-----
-----we were coming from a standing start because the Deputy will know-----
Stop trying to shout me down, please.