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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“This budget also provides for critical and capital investment in other areas such as Met Éireann and fire and emergency services.”
“In addition to securing the delivery of additional social and affordable and cost-rental homes, the funding budget in 2026 also ensures investment for the new housing plan; providing enhanced supports for people with disability, older people and Travellers; enhancing measures to tackle urban apartment viability, vacancy and better utilisation of existing stock; continuing a broad range of retrofitting remediation; estate regeneration and maintenance programmes; and providing supports to the rental sector. There have been record levels in investment in water services by Uisce Éireann over recent years, and this will continue under the updated national development plan, which includes €12.2 billion for water services of which €11.7 billion is for Uisce Éireann.”
“Some €563.5 million will be provided across current and capital funding in 2026. Over €500 million has been allocated to housing infrastructure in the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, in 2026 to support the work of the housing activation office in addressing infrastructure blockages and accelerate housing delivery, and to support the delivery of affordable and social housing on State-owned land.”
“The targeted delivery in 2026 builds on the very significant progress already achieved in the delivery of social, affordable and cost-rental homes and the unlocking of private delivery. A strong and secure social and affordable housing pipeline is in place and continues to be expanded for the immediate and medium-term delivery of new homes. Addressing homelessness must remain one of the most critical focus areas of the Government. Accelerating supply is key to that both in terms of the exits to secure tenancies and of preventions. We need to be sufficiently resourced, nonetheless, to ensure that local authorities can provide emergency accommodation, homeless prevention and tenancy sustainment services and other services to house those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.”
“To truly meet the scale of housing demand, we absolutely must, and I am committed to, delivering more homes across all tenures. We are building more social homes than we have in a generation, and we intend to further scale up delivery. Therefore, an increased capital allocation of €2.9 billion has been provided to support local authorities and approved housing bodies in the delivery of 10,200 newly built social homes in 2026. This funding will also ensure the continuation of the second-hand social housing acquisitions programme. Overall, housing funding will support 29,000 additional households in 2026 by meeting the social housing needs of an additional 21,500 households and supporting a further 7,500 households to buy or rent at an affordable price.”
“My Department is working tirelessly to deliver for people in terms of housing supports, planning services, water investment and local government, and this very significant level of funding will be instrumental in the delivery of homes, support services, infrastructure and amenities for people and families across Ireland. In budget 2026, the total Exchequer funding being made available for the delivery of housing programmes is €7.21 billion, comprising capital funding of €5.19 billion and current funding of €2.02 billion. The Exchequer capital provision of €5.19 billion will be supplemented by the Land Development Agency investment, projected at up to €1.6 billion, and Housing Finance Agency lending projected at over €2 billion, resulting in an overall capital provision of over €9 billion.”
“Since coming into office, the allocation to my Department for 2025 has grown by some €1.4 billion in funds available, reflecting the urgent and accelerated pace that we are funding and approving delivery schemes across many programmes and today, budget 2026 has an additional €1.94 billion. In terms of current funding, between 2025 and 2026, there will be an increase of €600 million, while capital spending from the Vote will grow by over €1.3 billion from the existing level as was agreed under the national development plan during the summer. These increases in provision are coming at a time when they are acutely needed, and I am very clear about this. My Department's portfolio is both significant and broad and, indeed, the Department in some way or another genuinely touches the lives of everyone in this country.”
“There will be €670 million to further support local authorities, which is an increase of €18 million in funding from the Local Government Fund, as well as a record €256 million boost for nature restoration and heritage, up by 15% year on year with the National Parks and Wildlife Service receiving over €100 million for the first time, which my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O’Sullivan, will speak on in further detail later. They are some of the key highlights. Vote 34 on housing, Vote 16 on Tailte Éireann and Vote 23 on an Coimisiún Toghcháin are all under my remit as Minister and collectively, budget 2026 will provide for an increase of over €3.34 billion on the amount provided this time last year during budget 2025.”
“The Residential Tenancies Board and the other advocacy services will receive funding of €24 million. There will be €34 million to support the Traveller community, including for the delivery of new accommodation and repair and maintenance work, while there will be increased funding for An Coimisiún Pleanála - our planning commission - and for our planning authorities, on which the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins will speak.”
“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 provision of homeless services. The derelict property tax will now, crucially, be administered by the Revenue Commissioners. I have ensured the extension of the rent tax credit of €1,000 for a further three years for our renters. There will be a 0% corporation tax rate for cost-rental units to encourage the wide-scale delivery of cost-rental units.”
“Here we are again. I am back on my feet, trying to give an answer and once again, the Deputy is trying to talk over me. Getting into government for government's sake is not going to work. The Deputy has to provide solutions. We are providing solutions. I turned the sod only a few weeks ago on 817 affordable, cost-rental and social homes and more homes will be delivered in Balbriggan as well. Our plan is working, we will deliver homes that are needed, and I am happy to hear any solutions from the Opposition if it wishes to put forward some.”
“The Deputy really gave the game away when she talked about government. Sinn Féin is obsessed with getting into government instead of providing solutions. It has abandoned all attempts now in terms of providing solutions for housing. The public rejected its proposed solutions in the last general election.”
“I know it upsets the Deputy's social media plan when I start to say the positive things that are happening, so she likes to talk over me to ensure there is no possibility of anybody being able to hear anything I am saying that is positive. It is an ongoing tactic from the Opposition benches.”
“-----which Sinn Féin opposes again and again. We have an affordability problem and a viability problem in this country. We are addressing both. I was delighted to be in Balbriggan only a few weeks ago turning the sod on 817 affordable-purchase, cost-rental-----”
“Building on this progress, my Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners, including Fingal County Council, approved housing bodies, the Land Development Agency and the first home scheme to further the development of the affordable housing delivery pipeline for 2026 and beyond, and to ensure the affordable housing programme responds effectively to the affordable housing needs identified at local level. Under the programme for Government, the Government committed to introducing a new starter home programme across the public, private and AHB sectors, a programme that will promote home ownership and secure long-term rental tenure for young people and fresh start applications. My Department is currently progressing that commitment and it will form part of the next housing plan.”
“In Balbriggan, affordable purchase homes have been delivered in Hampton Gardens and construction is under way on the LDA's Hampton Demesne development, which will comprise 817 affordable-purchase, cost-rental and social homes. These homes will be available in an array of housing options, including one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and two-, three- and four-bed houses. Housing delivery in Balbriggan is being supported by €25.4 million in urban regeneration and development fund investment to implement eight key projects under the Our Balbriggan rejuvenation plan. With €8.5 million matched funding provided by Fingal County Council, work is well under way on these projects to regenerate the heart of the town, including new public spaces to transform the Quay Street and harbour areas in support of sustainable, compact growth.”
“I thank the Deputy for her question and the clarification. The Government has scaled up affordable housing delivery rapidly across all tenures since 2022 and continues to accelerate housing supply. Cost rental is a key element of the Government's strategy to improve affordability in the rental sector and to provide secure, long-term homes for moderate income households above the income limits for social housing, who may have difficulty affording rental accommodation in the private market. Overall, 14,500 affordable housing solutions have been delivered since the launch of Housing for All and over 1,900 affordable housing supports have been delivered in Fingal since 2021, including 590 cost-rental homes.”
“I had important meetings with the minister for housing from France only last week and with the ministers for housing from Denmark and Romania, all of whom are facing housing crises. Nobody has a simple answer to this at the moment. While reviewing whether we put that into the Constitution is important, let us not pretend it will deliver housing.”
“It is important to set out that putting it into the Constitution is not going to deliver one more house. This Government has set out that housing is a priority. This is evidenced by the fact that almost one in three euro in our national development plan is going towards housing delivery. This is not even including the funding for grids and roads, which are all prioritised towards housing delivery as well. Spain, for example, is engaging with our Department and Government because it is in a housing crisis. Their minister for housing is looking at schemes we are doing to see how they might work in Spain to help advance and deliver housing and affordable housing. Other countries such as Slovakia, Romania and France are also looking to Ireland.”
“I am not against a referendum on putting housing into the Constitution but it is not where my priority is right now and certainly not in my first year as the Minister for housing.”
“The Deputy is right that there were differing views on the commission, and well-reasoned views I think on both sides among the commission members as set out in the various reports. While it was a majority it is not that straightforward either due to the different views. We are keeping this under review but my priority is actually delivering on housing. It is a basic necessity, one of the most fundamental basic necessities, for people to have a home and to have a roof over their head. We are very proud in Ireland in ensuring people can live in their own communities. Very strong communities are essential in the way we do things. That is where my priority is right now.”
“As work continues on our new housing plan, we are continuing to focus on measures in the short, medium and long terms to boost supply. In the past few months alone, I have secured record levels of funding for social and affordable housing. Furthermore, the establishment of a new housing infrastructure fund in my Department will help to secure the enabling infrastructure needed for public and private housing developments and unblock infrastructure delays on the ground. This practical focus on housing supply is my priority right now but I will keep the report to the commission on this area under review.”
“I will answer the question on the housing referendum now. The Housing Commission was established in December 2021 to consider housing policy post 2030 and make proposals building on Housing for All. It was also tasked with advising the Government on the critical factors to be considered regarding a referendum on housing and, if appropriate, to recommend wording for a constitutional change. The commission submitted its report to the Government, including recommendations pertaining to a referendum on housing, in May of last year. There were differing views within the commission on the right to housing and no consensus on what was a complex issue. At the moment, the Government is fully focused on measures to tackle homelessness, increase housing supply and affordability and ensure access to housing of an adequate standard for all.”
“What I hear are objections to almost everything we are doing. That is Sinn Féin's right, but I am not seeing any solutions coming forward, just constant criticisms. I continue to make decisions to address the viability issue and the affordability issue. Ultimately, this is about driving supply right across this country including Dublin, which is a crucial part of that.”
“I am not sure if the Deputy listened to my last answer. The Government has long acknowledged that there is a serious affordability issue in this country. That is why we brought in significant measures such as the first home and help to buy schemes to address the affordability issue. Supply is the only answer so that people can afford homes.”
“We are determined to drive supply as much as possible in all tenures - social, affordable, cost-rental and the private market - so that everybody has the ability to get the home he or she needs in the local community at a price he or she can afford. We have always acknowledged there is an affordability issue, and we are taking measures to address that.”
“As the Deputy is well aware, the Government has long acknowledged that there is an affordability problem in this country. There are two issues - a viability issue and an affordability issue - and both of these are driving supply difficulties. That is why we have taken measures on viability and affordability. Many of the affordability measures have been opposed by Sinn Féin's good self. The legislative framework governing affordable purchase and cost-rental tenure is set out under the 2025 regulations under the Affordable Housing Act. Capital funding includes €695 million in funding for approved housing body cost-rental housing via the cost-rental equity loan and €155 million for local authority affordable housing via the affordable housing fund.”
“Apartment delivery and the availability of new cost-rental homes, both of which are key to the scale of affordable delivery needed in Dublin, were given a significant boost of viability in yesterday's budget by the announcement of the VAT reduction on new apartment delivery and exemption from corporation tax of cost-rental housing delivery. We will further advance our affordable home delivery plans to Dublin as we implement a new starter home programme to remote home ownership, and secure long-term rental. Delivering on that programme for Government commitment will be part of our new housing plan.”
“Large-scale mixed tenure schemes such as Church Fields, Montpelier and Oscar Traynor Woods are delivering affordable purchase homes and 133 cost-rental homes were recently launched at Innovation Square in Tallaght. Furthermore, 13 cost-rental projects being delivered in Dublin by approved housing bodies have been approved for funding support under the cost-rental equity loan scheme, with more than 1,350 cost-rental homes expected to be delivered by the end of 2027. The Land Development Agency is also progressing key projects in Dublin on State land in partnership with local authorities and through its market engagement initiative, Project Tosaigh. These projects include important large-scale mixed-tenure schemes such as Shanganagh, the Donore project, Cherry Orchard and Cromcastle.”
“I thank the Deputy for his question in relation to affordable homes in Dublin for 2025 and 2026. More than 14,500 affordable housing solutions have been delivered since the launch of Housing for All, including over 5,200 in Dublin. Affordable housing schemes are now operating at scale in Dublin and the affordable housing delivery programme continues to be expanded and developed year on year, supported by unprecedented levels of State investment. Across the four Dublin local authorities, affordable housing fund approval is in place to support delivery of 35 projects, delivering more than 3,500 affordable purchase and cost-rental homes.”
“That work remains ongoing, but the head is not critical to this. As has been demonstrated, all the key experts are in place. The departmental staff are in place. The work is already well under way. We are engaging with local authorities. We are meeting with the relevant groups. That activity is being driven now as quickly as possible.”
“The housing activation office is just one piece of an important set of measures we will take to ensure we can unlock housing delivery. We have our State agencies, but the housing activation office will be able to work with those Stage agencies where they identify that land can be freed up very quickly for housing delivery to ensure that utilities are in place. The HAO itself has that fund where it needs to spend money quite quickly on key infrastructural projects to unlock land in order that we can get it delivered as quickly as possible. Really, it is a troubleshooter but with a lot of high-level expertise and capacity behind it as well as key funding to ensure that everybody is on the same page and delivering what needs to be delivered so we can deliver homes as fast as possible.”
“I look forward to engaging with all the stakeholders through these forums and ensuring that infrastructure for housing is prioritised and accelerated.”
“This includes engagement with the 31 city and county councils over a series of meetings scheduled across September and October to get an understanding of the infrastructural requirements across each area. In the coming months, I will be bringing forward a new housing infrastructure fund with multi-year funding being made available and will provide up to €200 million next year to support direct investment in critical housing infrastructure where it can be accelerated and delivered. I intend to convene the housing activation delivery group in the coming weeks, bringing together senior representatives from Departments and infrastructure agencies to support the work of the office. I will also convene a housing activation industry group that will provide regular engagement with the industry.”
“I thank the Deputy for the question. Significant progress has been made on establishing the housing activation office. Senior specialists from Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks, the NTA, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the local government sector are in place. In addition, senior staff from my Department with expertise in planning and project and programme management are assigned to the office. Further administrative support is in place and staff from the wider Department are continuing to support the office across corporate functions. The appointment of a head of office is also being progressed as a priority. The office is actively engaged in identifying barriers to housing delivery and is co-ordinating with local authorities and infrastructural agencies to address these barriers.”
“All of the details around the various tax breaks, which Minister Donohoe worked on with the Department of housing to ensure we can increase the viability of apartments and get them and housing in general delivered, will be worked out over the coming weeks and then announced. The purpose of the tax cuts is to bring about that viability so that we can get apartments that people need built. Off plan, there are over 40,000 apartments in Dublin that are ready to go but are not being built because they are not viable. The LDA was created to ensure that the cost rental model was there for people to able to benefit from it. The LDA will continue to ensure that this is the case.”
“They will apply to new tenancies where designated as cost rental. The LDA sought this change so that it could deliver lower rents for people and that is why we agreed to it. As it is a cost rental measure, I fully expect, even through the metrics of the system, that it will result in lower rents for future tenancies.”
“Additional resources will be allocated to the RTB to ensure the effective regulation of the sector. To this end, I am very pleased to announce that in 2026 the Exchequer funding allocation for the RTB will be increased by over 70%, to €22.8 million.”
“This ensured that all tenancies nationally were protected from rent increases exceeding 2%, pending the introduction of a national rent control in 2026. The Government is also committed to providing more affordable rental properties through the delivery of cost rental projects and all funded cost rental projects most achieve cost covering rents that are at least 25% below comparable local market levels. Nearly 4,000 cost rental homes have been delivered by AHBs, local authorities and the LDA since the launch of Housing for All and a strong pipeline is in place. The Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, was established as a quasi-judicial independent statutory body under the residential tenancies Acts to facilitate the resolution of residential tenancy disputes and operate a national tenancy registration system.”
“On 10 June 2025, the Government approved stronger tenancy protections and greater certainty for the rental sector, including the introduction of a national rent control. From 1 March 2026, a national rent control will be introduced for all tenancies, which will limit rent increases for properties other than new build apartments to inflation at CPI up to a maximum of 2% and for new build apartments rent increases will be capped at the level of inflation, aimed at supporting investment in the construction of new apartments. As an interim measure, the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2025 was signed into law on 19 June 2025. The Act came into operation on 20 June 2025 to immediately extend and expand the operation of rent pressure zones to cover the entire country until 28 February 2026.”
“We are not in that situation at the moment. As I said, we are processing these ever more quickly. As I said, it took 15 days, on average, in the first six months of this year to process these applications. I encourage applications. There is an issue there, as the Deputy rightly pointed out, in terms of CALF and CREL not being aligned. It is something that the Department with AHBs and local authorities have to work on to see how we can get them better aligned. I admit that it is a frustration for me when I sign off on a cost-rental and then I see we have to wait to get the CALF because it is on a different track. That is because the applications are coming in differently. It is something that I, with the Department, AHBs and local authorities, can get an awful lot better. I am going to work on doing that.”
“The longest time an application was on hand with the Department before receiving approval was 200 working days, while the shortest was a single working day. That can come down to a number of different reasons. We process these as quickly as possible but it can come down to the nature of the application. We have to do value for money, look at the specifications and, at times, seek further information in relation to various applications.”
“I reject the premise that there have been delays. For example, 54 CREL projects have been approved since the beginning of July last year and the average number of working days was 48 for this period. The processing times for individual applications can vary for the reasons I have outlined. That said, the trend is that projects are taking less and less time to assess. For example, projects submitted from July to December 2024 took 93 working days on average, whereas projects submitted from January to July 2025 - in my time - took 15 days on average. However, it is important to note that the standard deviation is high. Each project is assessed on an individual basis so the time it takes to assess one project does not in any indicate the time taken for another project.”
“My Department encourages AHBs and local authorities to seek funding for such projects simultaneously and will take further steps, as required, to ensure this happens going forward.”
“This ongoing and continued resourcing underpins the Government's commitment to the sector and I am satisfied that the approval process and support for AHBs under CREL is robust. While my Department makes every effort to process CREL and CALF applications as quickly as possible, the size, scale, complexity and specifications of each application is significant and the assessment time required to ensure projects are viable and represent value for money can vary. In addition, where an application is for funding under both CREL and CALF, it is often the case that the applications for the two schemes are not submitted by AHBs at the same time. In such instances, clarification is sought from the relevant AHB to establish whether a project can proceed independently. Where individual progress is impossible, turnaround times can be affected.”
“I thank the Deputy for his question. I confirm that there are no approval lags for CREL funding. There is an approval process for funding applications to ensure compliance with the scheme conditions and value for money for the Exchequer. This is, as it should be, a requirement under public financial procedures. A necessary process should not be misrepresented as a delay. Since July last year, the average time taken from the date the final report was submitted to the Department to the date of approval is 48 working days. In this regard, my Department has already approved more than 41 affordable housing body, AHB, projects this year, which will deliver more than 3,000 units up to 2029, while more than €400 million in CREL funding has been provided to AHBs to date in 2025.”
“Under the national development plan, nearly one in every three euro over the next five years will be into housing or into water to facilitate housing delivery. That shows the commitment from the Government to deliver. The LDA is an absolutely crucial part of that, as are local authorities. A lot of our local authorities are really delivering on social housing. Some are not and we need everyone to step up to the mark.”
“I have been heavily engaged with the LDA. I meet it regularly. It is anxious to have that direct delivery model, which is what it has been moving towards as quickly as possible. The key is that we get properties delivered. As I say, I much prefer the direct delivery model and to get the private market delivering on the private sector side of things. That is where we are heading and where much of my wider decision-making of the last few months have been driving towards. We will provide the LDA with the funding it needs to deliver the properties we want it to deliver right across the country. I am very confident that we will get there in terms of our housing delivery model and we will do so over the coming years.”
“We want to get to a situation where all delivery, whether it is affordable housing bodies, the LDA or local authorities, is being done in a plan-led manner. In the circumstances of the last few years there has been an emphasis on that partnership model but we very much want to get to a situation where all this is clearly plan-led by all bodies. That will maximise the delivery of homes so that the private market is there and available for people in the private sector.”
“That is exactly what the Department of Finance did, working with the Department of housing. It looked at how the LDA is financed and how it can be financed into the future and examining the remit of the LDA. We have agreed to expand its role. The LDA will be absolutely critical. It will very soon be the largest housing delivery body in this country. We are fully committed to expanding its role and using financing to ensure that happens. In its gearing up it was very reliant on what are often referred to as turnkeys but we have to be aware that very much refers to off-plan properties that otherwise would not have been built. It was not a case of going in and buying properties that had been built where keys were ready to be handed over. The LDA is now moving more towards direct delivery and that is really important.”