James Browne
Wexford · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I cannot accept amendments Nos. 10 and 11. The interpretation of "lawfully resident" and "habitually resident" is construed in accordance with section 20A, which sets out the new residency requirements for social housing applicants.”
“The safety net provision is to be provided by the local authority on a night-to-night basis, and this is to allow local authorities to reassess the circumstances each day to determine whether the safety net should still be provided.”
“I cannot accept amendment No. 21. This amendment proposes the introduction of a social housing passport allowing households to transfer between local authority areas while retaining their original waiting list or transfer list position. The amendment as it stands is well-intentioned.”
“No one factor is intended to be decisive and it is not necessary for a person to score strongly on all five factors outlined in section 20A(7) in order to get a positive decision. However, the local authority decision-maker must be confident that there is strong evidence that it is the applicant's main centre of interest.”
“In relation to Senator McCarthy’s amendment, while it was a very well intentioned and constructed amendment, it has been disallowed. It was not my decision on those matters. I am satisfied the safeguards and safety net are there for those who are not entitled by way of legal or habitual residence.”
“In practical terms, if an Irish citizen has severed ties abroad and has decided to return home, the process of establishing habitual residency could be determined from day one.”
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“At the time of the Oireachtas housing committee, I understood the campaign, while flowing directly from my Department's youth homeless strategy, was not a Department of housing campaign to approve. I was clear on this.”
“Second, I appreciate that presented without further context, this looked like my Department felt the matter was one we were qualified to advise on, when in fact we should be more focused on solving the problem raised by the young people: the problem of a housing crisis impacting their everyday lives and relationships. The video scripts related to various aspects of the campaign were flagged to my Department prior to finalising and uploading them online, for only the purposes of fact checking in relation to current policies and schemes, as would be reasonable. My Department is certainly not best placed to direct style or tone of content prepared by or for young people. That is why SpunOut is rightly involved and it does an excellent job.”
“In an online world that is increasingly confusing and diverse in terms of factual and reliable information, SpunOut stands out as an exemplar in that respect. The Housing Agency engaged with young people as part of the process of developing its campaign in 2025 and it rightly led on choosing the topics they were most interested in and wanted to hear more about. I absolutely appreciate that when the video content related to moving back in with parents was shared directly, without relevant social tagging, by my own Department towards the end of last year, it appeared as if the content was a Department-led campaign.”
“I thank the Deputy. The Government's youth homelessness strategy commits to developing an annual information and awareness campaign on housing rights, as well as available supports specifically targeting young people. This is essential to do, particularly online where young people, who are most impacted, are most active. The Housing Agency was tasked with developing these information campaigns, and in 2024 and 2025, it collaborated with SpunOut, Ireland’s youth information and support platform, to develop and run online content. I genuinely commend the everyday work that SpunOut does for young people across the country in providing accessible, engaging and youth-friendly content that responds to their needs and what matters to them.”
“I have been saying this to our local authorities and AHBs, as our officials have been, and therefore I would expect them to act in anticipation of this change.”
“I recognise Deputy O'Connell's concern in this area and her compassion for families who want to keep their pets. Their pets are now part of the family and they give some much comfort and support to people. Whether that is older people or children and their families, pets are very much part of it. That is the reason we were so anxious to ensure there was a very clear line of direction included in the housing plan sending out that message to AHBs and local authorities and putting it now into a code of practice. I do not think legislation will be needed. If it is needed, we will do it with legislation, but through codes of practice and service level agreements with local authorities and AHBs, we can effect this more quickly.”
“I thank the Deputy. I would hope that my very clear statements would act as guidelines for local authorities and AHBs. We fund them. People should not be precluded from living with pets. A code will be required to ensure that a very tiny number of people cannot try to abuse the situation. We have to be conscious that people live next door to each other and it is about pets living with them. Again, the definition of a pet is very clearly set out in law and, therefore, I expect we will move quickly on this. I will be ensuring we move quickly so that people can keep their pets. Our position has been made loud and clear to local authorities and AHBs and I would expect them to act in anticipation of the change in rules.”
“It is timely that the code be reviewed to ensure, in the first instance, that the nomination and allocation processes are working to avoid unnecessary vacancy periods in social housing. In order to reinforce a collaborative approach, a working group comprising my Department, the local authorities, the AHB sector and the Housing Agency has been established to carry out a review of the code. I will be ensuring the review of this code is carried out as quickly as possible. Effectively, I want to repeal the ban. People should not be prohibited from being able to bring their pet with them when they move into any house, in my view, but at least any house we have control over, which are social and affordable homes.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising what is an important question and can often have a profound effect on families, namely, the blanket ban that is often imposed on having pets. It was an important policy to get into our housing plan. For many people, especially those who live on their own but for all families, pets provide comfort and connection and can be an enormous source of emotional support and companionship. Pets are often seen as part of the family. The new national housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, commits to reviewing the code of practice for the approved housing body allocation process, which is an agreed set of arrangements between local authorities and the AHB sector. The code seeks to establish a collaborative and efficient approach to the social housing nomination and allocations process.”
“However, I will be imploring those Departments to advance those recommendations now, a lot more quickly than might have previously been intended as a result of the foreshortening of the time that was believed to be there, to come up with the implementation of a strategy. Coastal erosion is now happening at a frightening pace.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. He is right. The Courtown and Riverchapel area is a good example of a wonderful community that is facing an awful lot. It is at the brunt of the changes as a result of our climate crisis and the impact that has on the local community. The current position is that it is the responsibility of the local authority with the OPW to carry out works, although these works tend to be of a smaller scale than dealing with the emergency facing the community. We have to develop that national strategy. We do have that interdepartmental group with the purpose of bringing those strategies together and it has 15 recommendations.”
“Deputy Byrne has done an awful lot of work on what we can do to tackle coastal erosion which is a result of climate change and the climate crisis that we are in. The current position is that the interventions are local authority led through funding by the OPW. A national strategy is being developed by the interdepartmental group. As the Deputy points out, a lot of different strategies are being worked on in different Departments. There is an environmental role, a housing role and a role for local authorities. What we are seeing now is erosion happening at an accelerated rate across the country. The time that may have been thought was there to develop the strategy has become foreshortened. I welcome the Deputy's focus on this because we need to really focus now on how we are going to manage this costal erosion around the country.”
“The management of coastal change and the consideration of appropriate responses must take place within the context of the overall national policy framework and the respective roles of Departments, agencies and local authorities.”
“In October 2023, this group published a scoping report setting out 15 recommendations to inform the development of a national coastal change management strategy. These recommendations are intended to facilitate key decisions to address and manage the impacts of coastal change over the short, medium and long term. The recommendations are organised around three key areas: strengthening governance and capacity; improving understanding of coastal risks and identifying possible technical responses; and developing appropriate management approaches to coastal change. Progress on this work is being overseen by an interdepartmental steering group, which meets to advance the policy framework outlined in the report.”
“The Office of Public Works has the responsibility for all technical assessment, including monitoring and mapping coastal risks, supporting research, and funding local authorities to undertake coastal protection works. My Department collaborates with the OPW and relevant local authorities to support informed, consistent and sustainable responses to coastal erosion nationwide and provides policy leadership and co-ordination. Ireland's approach to coastal change management is guided by the work of the interdepartmental group on the national coastal change management strategy. This was established by the Government to support informed decision-making on how best to manage the coastline in light of future risks and planning needs.”
“I thank Deputy Byrne for raising the important issue of coastal erosion. It is a matter he has raised on numerous occasions. My Department recognises the significant risks that coastal erosion and flooding present to our coastlines in the context of climate change. It is clear that climate change is presenting significant challenges, with many areas experiencing more frequent extreme weather events and changes in environmental conditions. Ireland is not immune from these challenges, including those associated with coastal erosion and flooding. Responding effectively to these challenges requires a co-ordinated, evidence-based and long-term approach. Our local authorities are responsible for managing coastal erosion within their own administrative areas.”
“Every scheme is always kept under review. We have multiple schemes now for helping people to be able to get their home and to make schemes affordable. We always keep schemes under review and where we think we can make them more effective, we always do so. It is important that these schemes exist, and that people are aware of them and use them. As Deputy Byrne mentioned, we have some very successful affordable housing schemes, and we want to see even more of them. Again, it is up to the local authorities to make sure that they are driving these schemes as well and doing more because we as a Government are supporting affordable housing in this country.”
“Our approach is to put in as many schemes as possible, and to try to make houses as affordable as possible, while also addressing viability so that we can drive on the supply as well. We need the homes. We need to significantly increase the number of homes right across the country as well as in Meath and Galway East. I am sure the Deputy will agree that right across Galway East there are now significant housing schemes going on but I want to see even more. I have been up there on a number of occasions and I will be going back to Galway. I encourage the local authorities to drive on with these schemes as well. It is really important that they work with the Department of housing to get more of these schemes off the ground.”
“I thank the Deputies very much for their questions. Affordability is at the very heart of what I do. That is why we have so many schemes to help people to make homes more affordable for them, while also driving the delivery of social and affordable housing through our local authorities, and through schemes led by the Land Development Agency. In both of those counties we have seen a significant delivery of homes but we want to see more delivery. I have been to both of those counties on numerous occasions. We have seen a significant uptick in the delivery of homes there. It is all about supply. The way we get control of rent prices and house prices is through increasing the supply.”
“In addition, six approved housing body projects have been approved to date under the cost-rental equity loan scheme in County Meath, with 76 cost-rental homes delivered to date and a further 156 to be delivered by the end of this year. To further support the development of Meath’s affordable housing programme, my Department is funding five additional administrative and technical staffing posts dedicated to affordable housing delivery. Scheme criteria and support levels for affordable purchase schemes are kept under regular review, taking account of developments in the housing market. Further to this, my Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners to further develop affordable starter homes delivery and to ensure that the starter homes programme addresses demand identified at a local level.”
“Over 1,000 affordable housing supports have been delivered in Meath to date, primarily via the local authority affordable purchase scheme, the first home scheme, the vacant properties refurbishment grant, the cost-rental equity loan and the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme. To date, Meath County Council has received funding approval to deliver 226 affordable starter homes for purchase across 12 schemes, supported by the affordable housing fund, out to the end of 2027. By the end of quarter 3 of last year, 77 of these homes had been delivered. A further four schemes are under assessment, with the potential to deliver an additional 20 affordable starter homes for purchase.”
“Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy, as embodied within the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The new plan reinforces and expands the range of existing measures being implemented by the Government to tackle the issues of supply and affordability, thereby supporting the increased provision of new homes to purchase and rent. As outlined in Delivering Homes, Building Communities, all local authorities will be required to prepare a new housing delivery action plan, which will identify affordable housing needs within their areas and set out how this will be met. These new housing delivery action plans will build upon the almost 19,000 affordable housing solutions that have been delivered since the launch of Housing for All.”
“We anticipate the guidelines will be ready by the end of February. It is what we anticipated a number of months ago and it is still on schedule for that. I fully agree with the Deputy’s sentiment around rural Ireland. We want our parishes to thrive. Uisce Éireann has record funding to deliver wastewater treatment plants across the country and to upgrade them. It has that role on environmental protection and driving delivery of homes. We want to maximise the use of this in a safe and overseen manner with the private sector as well. Where this will be of most value is those smaller villages and parishes that need to thrive. The reality is that it will take a significant time for Uisce Éireann to be able to get to every place in this country. It is about maximising our ability in a safe and environmentally sound manner.”
“A clear assessment will be carried out into its progress and application in implementation by the EPA and Uisce Éireann to ensure it is being done in a safe and appropriate manner and to ensure the protection of water quality, public health and the environment. It is important to say that these things are in addition to what Uisce Éireann is doing and are not replacing anything Uisce Éireann is doing.”
“It is the private sector, the developer, who will pay for it but, as I say, it must be done under the strict conditions set out by the EPA in collaboration with Uisce Éireann and oversight as Uisce Éireann will eventually take them over when they are completed. There will be very strict guidelines and rules of oversight in relation to the delivery of these. It will allow for 40 homes. We are doing this in a manner that will be environmentally safe, and overseen. We will assess it as it progresses and as it is being implemented to consider whether there is potential for an expansion of the role. However, in the circumstances 40 houses is a good starting point.”
“By enabling developer-led delivery of infrastructure under strict standards, with oversight and eventual transfer of ownership to Uisce Éireann, this initiative will support housing delivery, protect the environment, safeguard public health and ensure that wastewater infrastructure is safe, sustainable and fully integrated into the national network.”
“The EPA is preparing general binding rules for smaller wastewater treatment facilities serving developments of less than 100 population equivalent or approximately 40 houses. These rules will provide practical guidance for developers, while maintaining consistent environmental standards nationwide. Structured engagement between developers and Uisce Éireann is a key element of the initiative. Clear points of contact, guidance on design and performance standards and defined approval pathways will ensure that the proposed infrastructure aligns with public systems. My Department, in close co-ordination with stakeholders, is finalising the regulatory and guidance frameworks. The new approach is expected to be operational by the end of February.”
“Developer-led wastewater treatment facilities can only be constructed under strict technical, environmental and regulatory conditions, with all proposals subject to assessment, approval and oversight by Uisce Éireann and monitoring by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA. A central feature is that all completed infrastructure will be transferred to Uisce Éireann, which will assume ownership and responsibility for operation and maintenance, ensuring integration into the national public wastewater system. The regulatory framework underpinning this initiative must be robust to ensure compliance, safeguard public health and the environment and provide certainty for developers and regulators.”
“I thank Deputy Brennan for raising this important issue around allowing developers to construct wastewater treatment facilities. I know it is a matter he has raised on a number of occasions. Following Government approval of this initiative, my Department is working closely with key stakeholders, including Uisce Éireann, to establish a framework allowing builders and private developers to construct stand-alone wastewater treatment solutions for housing developments where public wastewater capacity is unavailable or constrained. The initiative is intended to ensure timely housing delivery by addressing and removing previous delays, while safeguarding public health and protecting the environment.”
“However, it is up to the local authorities to collect the money, and that is what they should be doing. It is up to the voters in the local authority areas to pull up their councillors and ask why levying has not been occurring, why properties are being left derelict and why we are giving up money that could be in the coffers for regeneration. It is not my job to go around to every local authority and do its job for it.”
“Collecting the levy is actually not my job; it is the local authorities’ job, and they have the staff and powers to do it. The Deputy is right that the situation is probably worse than it was 36 years ago, but that is because the local authorities, which have the power to levy and raise money, have not been levying. We should remember this is money that would become available to them to tackle dereliction or spend on regeneration projects. The failure to collect the levy is why the role is now going to the Revenue Commissioners.”
“There are thousands of staff working in the authorities and they have well-paid CEOs and directors of services. It is their job to do their job and the Deputy should not come in here, week after week, to tell me I have to do the local authorities’ job for them. It is their job to do their job, and they need to do it.”
“As usual, more mud to hide the lack of answers and solutions. It is the local authorities’ job to collect this money. The Deputy is right about the €32 million. Imagine that local authorities, some of which are complaining about not having enough money, are leaving €32 million uncollected. The Deputy is telling me they do not have the staff to collect it. They do and it is up to them. They are leaving this money behind because they are not collecting it. It is their job to collect it. They have the laws to collect it and they have laws to apply. They are not collecting the levy and are leaving properties derelict. Therefore, I do not accept for one second that local authorities do not have the staff to do this. They do. Imagine not collecting €32 million. It is not my job to do the local authorities’ job for them.”
“In short, it is the role of the local authorities to collect the levies, and it is up to them to do so. It is not my job to do the local authorities’ job for them; it is theirs. Unfortunately, many local authorities have failed to collect the levy to date, and that is why the role has effectively been taken off them.”
“Derelict sites levies that remain outstanding and owed to the local authorities when the new tax is introduced will remain as charges on the properties concerned. Action 4.3 of Delivering Homes, Building Communities confirms that local authorities will increase the number of sites on the derelict sites registers and increase the enforcement and collection of unpaid levies. My Department is engaging with the local government sector on the operation of the Derelict Sites Act and the implementation of the actions related to dereliction in the national housing strategy. Delivering Homes, Building Communities includes measures in addition to the DPT to end dereliction and provide increased numbers of new homes and revitalise the communities in villages, towns and cities.”
“It is intended to introduce legislation providing for the tax in the finance Bill of 2026 alongside a scoping exercise to identify derelict properties in each local authority area. Currently, the derelict sites levy is an annual levy of 7% of the market value of land identified on the derelict sites register of a local authority. The rate of the DPT is yet to be determined but it is envisaged that it will not be lower than the current derelict site levy, 7%. Subject to the necessary legislation being introduced in finance Bill 2026, preliminary registers will be published by local authorities in 2027. Local authorities will continue to have a role in the process as updating and maintaining their derelict sites registers will continue to remain the responsibility of the local authorities.”
“I thank the Deputy. He will be aware that dereliction is front and centre of what I am trying to tackle as Minister for housing. The introduction of a derelict property tax, DPT, was announced in budget 2026 and the collection of this new tax will be the responsibility of the Revenue Commissioners, as set out in action 4.1 of the Government's new national housing strategy, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. This tax will replace the derelict sites levy currently operated by the local authorities under Part III of the Derelict Sites Act 1990, whereby the levy is imposed annually on sites present on local authority derelict sites registers and is collected by the local authorities. A new DPT will be introduced, and administered and collected by the Revenue Commissioners.”
“It is important to point out that Deputy Ó Broin's own leader has consistently and repeatedly made accusations against my own leader in relation to using the very phrase that I am accusing him of making, yet he is happy to come in here and use the same phrase repeatedly. Maybe he get a party policy position on the use of that word in here, which the Taoiseach absolutely denies using. As usual, there are double standards and we have it from the Deputy. The use of that kind of language epitomises the fact that the Deputy has no answers, his aim being to make headline accusations-----”
“These lines are on repeat from the Opposition. Deputy Ó Broin keeps coming back in and saying that Sinn Féin has provided alternatives and never repeats them. The reason he never repeats is they were soundly rejected by the people-----”
“-----rents are going to go up and up and up. The only solution the Deputy has put forward is a rent freeze. We know that does not work. We know all the international evidence is there that it does not work. All a rent freeze is a short-term populist move that is no benefit in terms of getting people the homes they need to live in, so we are making the necessary decisions to drive home delivery in this country.”
“I appreciate they are going to oppose it and they are going to scaremonger among renters in relation to it, but, if we do not do this-----”
“I want to see the average length of tenancies that people have go up and they will go up as a result of these decisions because it is going to be much harder for landlords to evict people for new tenancies going forward. We are going to see an extension of that through the security of tenure as well. This protects renters and it also drives investment in the delivery of homes. What we are not hearing from the Opposition is what their alternative is or how they are going to deliver the homes. They do not want private finance to deliver the homes so they will not say where the finance is coming from into it. Opposition Members seem to think that anything to do with bringing private finance into delivery is a dirty word. We are driving the supply.”
“Rents are directly linked to a lack of supply of homes. As usual, what we are not hearing from the Opposition parties at all is any alternative solution. Where are they getting their supply from? One in three euro of capital funding in this State is earmarked for housing and housing delivery. We hear calls from Opposition parties for more funding to go into it, but they will never say what they are going to cut. Where will they take the capital funding from? Is it from schools, roads or healthcare? That is never said. It is just spend more, spend more. Record funding is going in to housing. The reason, by the way, that we have record funding is our stewardship of the economy as well. Simply spending more is never the answer in and of itself.”
“There is a kind of short-term populism of Members are pretending are defending the tenants. For me, renters are not just people who renting right now; it is all those people who are at home and who need somewhere to rent. By driving supply, you provide the accommodation for people to be able to move out, but you also drive down the rents.”
“Why has rent been going up over the years? It is simple. It is because of a lack of supply. What we are doing now is making the decisions that bring certainty to the market and bring certainty to tenants through security of tenure. For the first time in the history of the State, we are bringing security of tenure. That is normal in almost every other country in Europe. We are doing these things to drive the supply. That is what this about. If you do not get more supply, rents are never coming down. Rents are only going in one direction. They will go up and up unless we increase the supply of apartments and homes across this country. We are already seeing the momentum coming back behind the decision I have announced I am making. We are seeing an increase in commencements and seeing an increase in the applications for planning permission.”
“Delivering Homes, Building Communities focuses on ensuring that a robust starter homes for rent programme will expand cost-rental as a tenure option and have a moderating impact on the wider rental market, placing downward pressure on private market rents.”
“Government is establishing a more robust legal and policy framework to support increased investment in the rental market to increase supply and choice for renters and, over time, reduce market rents. This will include ensuring that the legal framework supports domestic and international investment in the delivery of new rental properties, in particular, the supply of new apartments. CSO data shows that in quarter three of 2025, the number of apartments granted planning permission rose by 51.2% when compared with the same quarter of 2024. The Government has committed in excess of €9 billion in funding for housing through the Exchequer, the Land Development Agency and the Housing Finance Agency in 2026.”
“Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, published on 13 November 2025, is Ireland’s new national housing plan. It is a wide-ranging action plan focused on housing supply and targeting homelessness. The plan provides the strategic framework to support the delivery of 300,000 new homes during the period of the plan and identifies actions to support a more sustainable housing system moving forward. The rental market is an important element of a well-functioning housing system. It has seen significant growth over the past few decades. The increase in demand for rental properties is to be expected given recent increases in the population and demand for housing.”
“To stimulate new investment and keep existing landlords in the market, resetting of rents to market value for new tenancies, that is a first-time tenancy between parties, created on or after 1 March 2026 will be allowed, subject to a number of restrictions. A landlord will only have the right to reset the rent to market rent, where the rent is below market rent, between tenancies where: the previous tenant terminated the tenancy; where there was a breach of tenant obligations; or where the dwelling no longer suits the accommodation needs of the tenant's household. For existing tenancies that is, those created on or before 28 February 2026, resetting of rents to market value will not be allowed and annual rent increases will continue to be restricted for existing and new tenancies.”
“The Bill will amend the current system of rent controls and provide new measures to protect tenants, including stronger security of tenure, to come into effect for new tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026. A national rent control will be introduced to all tenancies that will limit rent increases for properties, other than new build apartments and student specific accommodation, to inflation, as per the consumer price index, up to a maximum of 2% per annum pro rata . For new build apartments and new student-specific accommodation, rent increases will be capped at the level of inflation, meaning that the 2% cap will not apply. The aim is to support investment in such development.”