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 will inform the programme of investment. While I cannot comment on any individual sites in advance of the opening of that fund for infrastructure proposals, there will be engagement with stakeholders, including local authorities, to identify priority areas for support.”
“Funding approval from the affordable housing fund is in place to support the delivery of the 181 affordable purchase homes by the LDA. However, Limerick City and County Council has advised my Department that an additional funding requirement has arisen for enabling infrastructure. I understand that Limerick City and County Council is considering the matter in conjunction with its delivery partners. I also understand the strategic importance of this development and will work proactively with Limerick and its delivery partners to support the work. It is envisaged that the housing activation office will manage a multi-annual housing infrastructure investment fund under the national development plan. The scope of this fund will be determined as part of the review of the national development plan, which is due to be completed in July.”
“I thank Deputy Sheehan for asking when funding will be made available for a project. This is the shortfall of €5 million to cover infrastructure for the Mungret LDA development of 250 units in Limerick. The Deputy's question relates to the development of the lands at the former Mungret College, which is a key strategic priority for Limerick City and County Council. The site will see the delivery of 250 affordable and social homes, together with community and crèche facilities over a three- to four-year period. This includes the proposed development of 181 affordable purchase homes and two community dwellings for people with disabilities in partnership with the Land Development Agency and homes for older people and a crèche being delivered by the approved housing body Clúid.”
“We will have only a single-stage process for local authorities to deliver social housing so that those local authorities that are determined to build social housing will be able to do so. We have increased the ceiling from €8 billion to €200 billion, which is a significant increase as well. The local authorities that want to build can build. They can build at the moment, but now they will be able to build even more quickly.”
“I am treating it as an emergency. The number seeking social housing is increasing, as it is for cost-rental and affordable and private housing, because the population of this country is exploding as a result of the successful economic steerage of this country. It is a good thing that our population is increasing as a result of our economy. It puts more pressure on me and the Government to deliver even more housing and we are going to do that to meet the increasing population needs. I acknowledge that we need more social housing. There is no question about that. I am determined to deliver more. That is why today I got Government agreement to end the four-stage process and the three-stage and two-stage processes.”
“It is extraordinary to see with some local authorities, even side by side to each other, how some can deliver as little as 3% own-build housing while others are above 40%. The ability is there. The local authorities that are actually delivering large amounts of social housing own-builds show that the Government is backing the local authorities where those local authorities are determined to build those social houses. We will continue to back those but we want to encourage the other local authorities to rise up to meet the top standard that some of those other local authorities are delivering.”
“The Deputy's proposal a number of weeks ago was simply to write blank cheques for local authorities. That is not a solution. We have to manage our finances and we have only a certain amount of funding. We want those voids brought back in but, as the Deputy will recall, one of the properties was a property that could not be let because it had not had a stairs for five years. There is no reason or rationale for that to be the case. On the rest of the housing plan, we will have this housing plan done as quickly as possible. We have gone back to building social houses. We are encouraging local authorities to build as much social housing as possible. Today we published the delivery rate of various local authorities.”
“The new national housing plan, which will be published in the coming months, will build on the measures we have introduced to date and set us on a sustainable path to meeting our housing needs nationally. We do need the national development plan first. It is simply common sense to publish a housing plan that includes the NDP, finalised after its publication. Then we can publish the new national housing plan.”
“Meanwhile the important work of this Government proceeds, and as Minister supporting the delivery of new homes, it is my key priority, and I am looking at using every means available to do so. Almost €6.8 billion, a record level of funding, has been provided by the Government for the delivery of housing in 2025. In recent months, the revised national planning framework was approved, An Coimisiún Pleanála was established with a new chairperson appointed and rent pressure zones have been expanded and extended nationwide as part of measures to secure the supply of rental accommodation and promote investment in housing. I have also recently issued the next call for expressions under the croí cónaithe cities scheme.”
“The programme for Government commits to the introduction of a new, all-of-government national housing plan to follow Housing for All, underpinned by multi-annual funding. This plan will take a whole-of-government approach, as Housing for All did. My Department is engaging across government to agree the high-level measures to be included in the plan. They must be supported by the required funding in the national development plan. The timing of its publication will be aligned with the outcome of the national development plan review process currently being undertaken by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Sector Reform and Digitalisation. I am committed to its finalisation and publication as soon as possible.”
“I have engaged with several of these families and the representative body. I am determined to get this resolved. I do not want this delayed any further. I am personally dealing with this situation because I understand the stress and the worry that people are going through. We will get this resolved as quickly as possible. No funding has been drawn down yet.”
“I acknowledge that there has been some delay with the drafting. Some of that has arisen as a result of the Housing Agency receiving legal advice outlining the provision of the funding by the agency to oversee it is likely to trigger a requirement to comply with public procurement law. The Attorney General subsequently confirmed the need to align the application process in compliance with EU procurement rules. The application process has subsequently been amended and the dynamic purchasing system for appointment of competent professionals has been developed for launch within the next few years. Contract builders will now be procured via the e-tender system using a public works contract. This change and other clarifications have led to the delayed drafting of the Bill. I understand these people are living in a sense of fear.”
“There have been some issues, including with tendering. We got some clarification on that today, but I am happy to brief both Deputies on any further clarification and on progress. It is being updated on a daily basis at this point. We can try to resolve the tender issue without it leading to further delay. The indication last week was that it might lead to some significant delay. The sense is that this has been rectified but I will have further clarity in the coming days. It is a live issue at the moment. I am happy to keep both Deputies updated as we move along on it.”
“The aim is to get the work done as quickly as possible. Regarding the interim scheme, four pathfinder projects covering almost 600 residential units have been identified. These projects are progressing and will allow the mapping of the application of the remediation process into simple steps to identify the pinch points and their solutions and to provide consistency across the submissions by competent professions and related local authority fire services. The pathfinder projects identified some issues in terms of it. That was the whole idea of the pathfinder projects, as they progressed, to see where there was going to be pinch points where there may be issues with the remediation scheme. The Department is working with the Housing Agency to co-ordinate and oversee the administration of this scheme.”
“The interim remediation scheme for the funding of emergency fire safety defect works in apartments and duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013, opened to applications from owners' management companies on 11 December 2023. The interim remediation scheme is being administered by the Housing Agency on a nationwide basis and provides for the full funding of interim measures to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings, pending completion of the full remedial works under the statutory scheme. As of 31 May 2025, a total of 207 applications to the interim remediation scheme are being progressed across 29 local authorities, representing a total of 19,574 residential units.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 36 together. The drafting of the apartment and duplex defects remediation Bill is progressing. Various issues requiring legal advice are under consideration. The Bill is included in the Government legislation summer programme and I intend to seek Government approval to publish it shortly. The general scheme will be made available to undergo pre-legislative scrutiny as soon as is practicable and I anticipate this happening in autumn 2025. When established, the statutory scheme will provide supports for the remediation of relevant fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. It is envisaged that 100% of eligible remediation costs will be funded under the scheme.”
“We are putting measures in place in order that everybody has the solution they need. Ultimately, we have to increase the supply of housing across the country. That is the only way we will address homelessness, high rents and ensure that people get the homes they need. We have gone from 20,000 to 30,000 homes. We will make the next step change. That is why we made rapid decisions over the past number of months and will do so again over the next few months. Rather than coming in here and criticising everything we do, perhaps the Deputy could come up with a few solutions.”
“I thank the Deputy. As he is fully aware, the cost-rental scheme did not exist in 2020 and that is why no units were delivered. On cost rental, some people cannot afford those rents and that is why we are providing a number of different solutions for people in order for them to access the homes they need at an affordable price. That may be purchase or rent and may involve cost rental, affordable purchase or social housing. We are trying to ensure that everybody, at whatever income level, has housing available to them. We are doing that across the system. The number of cost-rental units has increased over the past number of years. It is an important measure, albeit only one, of Housing for All and delivering the housing we need for people across the country, whatever their needs may be.”
“As rents for cost-rental homes are set according to the actual costs of delivering, managing, and maintaining the homes, recent inflation in costs has proven challenging. All delivery partners are actively managing costs to ensure that these new homes are provided at the best rent possible. For example, last week I attended the launch of the new cost-rental homes being provided by South Dublin County Council with the support of just under €20 million from my Department at Innovation Square, Tallaght, with rents starting at €950 per month. Cost-rental units provide a significant saving for the tenant, and tenants who benefit from cost-rental homes are very appreciative of the rents and security of tenure these homes provide.”
“Cost rental is a key element of the Housing For All strategy to improve affordability in the rental sector and to provide secure, long-term homes for moderate-income households. Though it was only introduced in 2021, cost-rental delivery is accelerating, with over 3,600 homes delivered by the end of 2024 and a substantial pipeline is now in place. My Department is providing significant funding to delivery partners for cost rental. As well as making delivery viable, this State funding drives down rents. All cost-rental projects must achieve cost-covering rents that are at least 25% below comparable market levels. All cost-rental homes therefore present a significant saving to the tenant, relative to new market rental properties. Cost rents are different depending on the size of dwelling and location as these have different capital costs.”
“It is not the end of PPP but we will review the processes to see how we can ensure that when the PPP process is used, there is value for money for the delivery of homes. We will use every method available to maximise the delivery of social homes. We will do that and we will continue to review it. We will deliver these homes as quickly as we can. We are reviewing the entire situation. On value for money tests, one was carried out by myself. I looked at it as a Minister, as I should when it arrives on my desk. It was an outrageous cost to deliver these homes, which I was not going to stand over, and I decided this was not the way to do it or to approve it.”
“I understand people’s upset and frustration. My duty is to deliver the maximum number of homes we can but that means maximising the value so we can maximise the delivery of those homes. I will not blindly sign off at any price for social homes. These homes were frankly at an astronomical price. No doubt had I signed off on them, I would be before the Committee of Public Accounts answering questions on how I could justify approving this kind of costing for social housing units. We will deliver those social housing units as quickly as possible because I want those homes delivered. However, the PPP model is not the only opportunity for Dublin City Council to deliver social homes. I welcome more applications from DCC to be able to deliver as many social homes as possible in the city.”
“In recent years, DCC has had very low delivery rates on its own land, with 177 units delivered in 2022, 323 in 2023 and only 35 completed in 2024. As part of this decision the officials in my Department will initiate, in collaboration with the NDFA, a review of PPP bundles 4 to 7.”
“All six sites in PPP bundle 3 have full planning permission and my officials, in conjunction with the stakeholders, will now consider and agree alternative procurement and delivery strategies for these homes. There are three sites from PPP bundle 3 with a potential of 244 social housing homes in Dublin City Council area ready for tendering though a design and build construction programme and my Department are working closely with DCC and the NDFA to advance these tenders immediately. I want our largest local authority, Dublin City Council, to bring forward new social housing projects on its own land using the various new-build funding schemes including design and build construction projects using the social housing investment programme.”
“However, I assure the Deputy that my Department, the National Development Finance Agency and the relevant local authorities remain fully committed to delivering the social housing that PPP bundle 3 was designed to provide. These 486 social homes are very much needed and remain a priority for all parties and will instead be delivered by way of an alternative procurement and delivery strategy. I wish to highlight that the investments already made in preliminary design work and securing planning consent is not lost and will in fact facilitate delivery of the 486 homes as expeditiously as possible under a new procurement and delivery strategy.”
“It is the clear focus of this Government to increase the supply of new build social and affordable homes. As such, the decision not to proceed with the contract award for bundle 3 was not taken lightly and was made after much careful consideration of the costs involved and is ultimately the correct decision. I cannot comment on or discuss the tendered costs for PPP bundle 3 as these numbers are part of the preferred tenderer's tender submission covered by confidentially clauses in the procurement documents and are commercially sensitive. The costs for the earlier completed PPP bundles 1 and 2 will be released in the coming months as part of the public sector benchmark process.”
“We really believe in the delivery of social and affordable housing but if we want to get housing delivery for this country, we have to activate the private sector and that is why we are engaging with many decisions to not only facilitate the quicker delivery of social and affordable housing but also activate the private sector so we can get up to the delivery of 50,000 or 60,000 homes per year, which is what we need to do so that everybody has the housing solution that they need and can afford.”
“The vast majority of the Act will be commenced by the end of this year. We have already started to commence it with the commencement of the urban development zone sections and the establishment of An Coimisiún Pleanála. The State is delivering approximately 50% of all housing solutions, including from the private sector Part V. Our ambition is to continue delivering as much social and affordable housing as can be delivered by the State.”
“We have also established An Coimisiún Pleanála. This week, there was further agreement to minimise the workload of local authorities by reducing the four-stage process for delivering social housing down to a single stage.”
“We are engaging with all the stakeholders regarding our new housing plan. The housing plan will follow the NDP. When that is finalised, the NDP will clearly set out the funding available for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and other Departments that are key in delivering the infrastructure we need to deliver the housing we need. It is in that context that the housing plan will be developed. We have already taken significant measures. We are not waiting for the housing plan to start taking the measures we need to take. We have already agreed to preserve the existing planning permissions for properties that may be about expire. We have established housing activation offices and increased the powers of the LDA. In the autumn, we will have a clear suite of planning exemptions to free up the time of our planners.”
“In the meantime, as Minister, I remain focused on ensuring that we bring forward urgently every measure possible to support housing delivery in the short term and to place us on a longer-term sustainable pathway that will meet the housing needs of all our people and communities.”
“I am committed to its finalisation and publication as soon as possible. It is essential, however, that this plan align with the timing of the outcome of the national development plan review process being undertaken by my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Sector Reform and Digitalisation. This will allow for the plan to be underpinned by the required multi-annual funding across not just my Department but across government. This will ensure a whole-of-government approach that tackles the challenges we are facing to support people who are experiencing homelessness or trying to access a home to buy or rent.”
“I thank the Deputy for asking this question in relation to an update on the Government's housing plan. The programme for Government commits to the introduction of a new all-of-government national housing plan to follow Housing for All, underpinned by multi-annual funding. Work is well under way in my Department on the development of this new housing plan. A programme of targeted stakeholder engagement has been undertaken. Written submissions have been received from across government and from a range of external stakeholders, including State agencies, the community and voluntary sector and industry and academics. These submissions are being carefully considered and I have also met with many stakeholders to hear at first hand what actions they think should be reflected in the plan.”
“I hear the Deputy saying he wants to trust the NGOs more but also to have more oversight of them. The NGOs here do phenomenally good work. We are providing record funding to address homelessness. What we want to do, though, is to prevent homelessness occurring in the first place and that is why we are making rapid decisions to significantly increase the supply of housing right across the country. Until we can address the homelessness situation, however, we will continue to support the NGOs and the local authorities to provide the housing needed for people who find themselves in need of emergency accommodation. We do not want to be relying on the private sector but the accommodation is simply not there now. The most important thing is that people have the emergency accommodation they need when they need it, and that is what we are doing.”
“As the Deputy knows, efforts are ongoing to reduce the reliance on commercial hotels to accommodate families, with the preferred model being the provision of supported accommodation operated by NGO providers. The increasing numbers in emergency accommodation have led to increased pressures on housing authorities to provide sufficient accommodation. To increase provision, housing authorities are heavily reliant on private emergency accommodation. Capital funding of €25 million is being made available to housing authorities and NGOs for the delivery of high-quality, supported emergency accommodation for families and individuals experiencing homelessness.”
“A number of uplifts to cost-of-living increases have been agreed and applied to service level agreements over the past two and a half years, including pay increases on foot of negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission. Last year, my Department conducted an internal review of the section 10 funding model, focusing on issues of governance and public expenditure oversight compliance. The final report of the review will be finalised in the coming weeks. In addition, a recent review conducted by the City and County Managers Association examined the funding provided to NGOs for homelessness services. The report was presented to the Department in March 2025 and I have asked officials to progress implementation of the recommendations, including costing of recommendations and consultation with stakeholders.”
“I thank the Deputy very much for requesting an update on the review of the section 10 funding for homelessness services and the changes I intend to make to this funding stream. Supporting individuals and families facing homelessness is a priority for the Government. I recognise the vital work of the NGO sector and its valuable contribution to the lives of those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. My Department regularly engages with the sector on all aspects of homeless policy, including funding arrangements. Significant progress has been made in addressing concerns raised within the NGO homelessness services sector about the adequacy of funding.”
“Let us live up to the vision of an Ireland rooted in democracy, shaped by dialogue and proud of its past without being trapped by it. Let us remember the words of the Proclamation still echoing through the columns of the GPO, "Cherishing all the children of the nation equally." That includes cherishing their history but it is also about building their future. That is the Government's commitment and that is my commitment.”
“We affirm the historic status of the GPO as the site where the Proclamation was read aloud to the entire world. We recognise its enduring role since 1818 as a hub of communication and civic life and we endorse the development of 14-17 Moore Street into a state-of-the-art visitor centre. We commit to keeping the GPO in public hands, operational and active, and we include this work in our NDP and to creating a sustainable city. We do not want it to be preserved in name only, not with shuttered units or derelict facades. We want it to thrive as a cultural quarter and as a place of commerce, life and local pride where the living city meets its revolutionary soul. We do not seek to replace history with retail. We seek to ensure history is honoured in a way that is real, accessible and embedded in our urban future.”
“We celebrate every Easter Monday, in a very honourable and respectful manner, what our forefathers and foremothers fought for. Let us contrast this with the language of Sinn Féin's motion today, language like "wanton destruction", "negligent" oversight and "alarm at the plans". These are all sloganeering designed for social media bites, not for honouring our history or our heritage. These are not phrases of stewardship but ones of division. No one has a monopoly of the memory of 1916. No one political party owns the Rising, certainly not the Provisional Sinn Féin, a party founded in 1970. No one group can speak as the sole voice for the battlefield sites of Moore Street or the historic heart of the GPO. This Government's countermotion makes our position clear.”
“We commissioned the 1916 exhibition in the GPO which is now visited by thousands each year. We funded heritage grants across every county and we engaged with young people, artists, veterans and communities in every corner of Ireland. We made sure these commemorations belong not to any one party or ideology but to the Irish people as a whole. That, I believe, is what real respect looks like. It is what honouring the past looks like. My own great-grandfather fought in 1916. He helped to take Enniscorthy town. He was taken to Frongoch and to London for further questioning and examination. He fought for this country. My family knows the history of our own family and the fight for our freedom. By the way, Enniscorthy lasted until Easter Monday.”
“It is not a whim or an afterthought; it is a clear national priority. Sinn Féin's position on the other hand is simply to freeze the GPO, turn Moore Street into a simple museum piece but offer no route to regeneration, no strategy for sustainability and no roadmap to funding or delivery. Good heritage policy must be adaptive and thoughtful, not locked into ideology. Let me remind this House of our decade of centenaries, one of the most inclusive, thoughtful and commemorative programmes ever undertaken by any government in the history of the State. We marked the 1916 Rising with respect, balance and dignity. We honoured all those who took part, from the volunteers to Cumann na mBan to those who died defending our city and our country.”
“No part of the GPO has been sold off, no part is being desecrated and there is no secret deal. These are all myths, and worse, they are deliberate distractions from the real work of heritage preservation and essential urban renewal of a changing city. What we propose is a respectful, imaginative redevelopment of the wider GPO complex, including its cultural, retail and office spaces, that complements and enhances the historical function of the site. In the same way as many other cities have blended modern purpose with historical preservation, we too can steward heritage and opportunity side by side. This vision is drawn from the Dublin city task force, the interdepartmental working group, years of public consultation, stakeholder engagement and architectural assessments. It is rooted in our NDP.”
“We want to welcome people into this space, to invite them in to learn and hear from the lives gone before for the country that we have now. Unlike the vague and politicised vision Sinn Féin offers, our approach intends to be practical and, importantly, deliverable. As for the GPO itself, let us be clear, it remains in full public ownership. It will remain a functioning post office for the time being. Its museums will remain open for the time being. Any redevelopment will preserve its central place in the cultural and historical fabric of the nation.”
“It is long on accusations but short on solutions, heavy with symbolism but light on substance. It accuses successive governments, and by implication this Government, of negligence and even of widespread destruction of a republican heritage. That claim is not just disingenuous; it is demonstrably false. Let me put on the record exactly what we have done. First, this Government secured and preserved the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street. After years of delay, including under local authorities and political parties now making accusations, we purchased this site and undertook critical stabilisation and weatherproofing works. More than that, we have progressed the restoration and conservation of these historic premises and underground escape routes. We have advanced many of our programmes. This is what we want.”
“It is a history that includes the heroism and the sacrifice of the men and women of 1916, stories that many of us know well today, but stories we want not only to preserve and celebrate but ones we want to make accessible to the coming generations here in Ireland and those who visit. Let me say at the very outset, the Government unequivocally honours the legacy of the 1916 Rising. We are deeply committed to the preservation of the General Post Office and Moore Street, not merely as some sort of relics to our past but as living, enduring parts of our national story. I agree that this genuine commitment must be matched by responsibility and action, not grandstanding nor sloganeering. That is why I must directly address the Private Members' motion tabled by Deputy Mary Lou McDonald and her Sinn Féin colleagues.”
“I want to start by thanking all Members for the contributions to this discussion. The Government is absolutely committed to the redevelopment of the GPO complex as an ambitious flagship project and plans are well under way for the refurbishment of the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street. It is our commitment to honour the men and women and indeed the children of 1916. It is our ambition to create a commemorative centre marking the 1916 Rising and the historic time period that it was. I rise today to defend not just the policies of this Government but the integrity of our approach to the preservation and the commemoration of our shared history.”
“This plan will focus on the delivery of the new infrastructure and activation of land security finance as well as addressing viability challenges and boosting the capacity of the construction sector. We are not waiting for the plan. We have already made significant announcements over the past couple of months and will make more significant announcements over the coming weeks.”
“I am also establishing housing activation office in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to identify and address barriers in the delivery of public infrastructure projects needed to enable housing development at local level through the alignment of funding and co-ordination of infrastructure providers. We will continue to do everything in our power to increase the capacity of critical infrastructure needed to support housing delivery and in turn to increase housing supply for now and generations to come. I will conclude by advising that a new national housing plan to follow Housing for All will be underpinned by the required funding in the national development plan. The timing of the publication of the new panel will be aligned with the outcome of the NDP review process currently being undertaken.”
“This investment will support the continued growth of apprenticeship training capacity, with 6,319 registering to join construction-related programmes in 2024, a rise from 4,463 in 2019. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science works with sectoral partners such as SOLAS, the National Construction Training Centre, Skillnet Ireland and education and training boards to increase skill supply through the existing network of skills provision across the tertiary system. I reiterate the Government is committed to scaling up capacity to deliver the homes we need and to facilitate this through appropriate Government support by increasing critical infrastructure capacity including electricity and water infrastructure.”