James Browne was appointed Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in January 2025. He was previously Minister of State Department of Justice with responsibility for International Law, Law Reform and Youth Justice.
James was first elected to Dáil Éireann in the February 2016 general election as a representative of Wexford.
He has served as the Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Mental Health, leading initiatives to reform mental health services in Ireland, including the Mental Health (Amendment) Act 2018 and served on the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Mental Healthcare.
He was born in Enniscorthy, Wexford, and is the oldest of a family of 4. He was educated locally at St. Mary’s CBS, Enniscorthy before attending Waterford IT, University College Cork and the King’s Inns. He was called to the Bar in 2006.