Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 10 Oct 2002

Vol. 555 No. 1

Written Answers. - Local Authority Housing.

Bernard Allen

Question:

315 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of people on the housing list each year since 1992; the number of house starts approved each year; the number of houses completed in each year; the number of people expected to go on the housing list in the next five years in both Cork City Council and Cork County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17711/02]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. N. Ahern)

Comprehensive statutory assessments of local authority housing needs are carried out on a triennial basis. The results of the most recent assessment of housing needs which was undertaken by local authorities at the end of March will be published by my Department in the next few weeks. The results of the assessment of housing needs which was undertaken by local authorities in March 1999 indicated a total 39,176 households in need of local authority housing. The previous statutory assessments of housing needs undertaken in March 1993 and March 1996 indicated a total of 28,624 and 27,427 households respectively in need of local authority housing. A detailed breakdown by local authority of the results of these assessments are published in my Department's housing statistics bulletins for the September quarters in 1993, 1996 and 1999 and are available in the Oireachtas Library.

It is a matter for local authorities to estimate anticipated changes in housing requirements, including social housing requirements, in their housing strategies under part V of the Planning and Development Act, 2000. I understand that Cork City Council and Cork County Council, including the town councils, published a joint housing strategy under part V of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, in November 2001 which contains their estimated housing requirements for the period 2001-06.

The number of authorised starts for the years 1992 to 1999 and under the multi-annual programme for the period 2000-03 is set out in the following table:

Year	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000-03
Authorised Starts	1,000	3,500	3,500	3,900	3,700	3,600	3,500	4,500	25,000

The number of house completions-acquisitions for the years 1992 to 2001 are published in my Department's Annual Bulletin of Housing Statistics, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library.

Question No. 316 answered with Question No. 248.

Question No. 317 answered with Question No. 312.