Vol. 425 No. 7
227 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment if he has received an indication as to the number of persons on the housing waiting list in County Kildare in the years from 1990 to 1992; the number of building starts likely to be approved for the county in 1993 in an effort to reduce this waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
230 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment whether Kildare County Council will receive sufficient resources under the terms of the Programme for Partnership Government 1993-1997 to make a realistic impact on the local authority housing list in County Kildare; when it is expected to meet the requirements of the one thousand plus families on the waiting list in County Kildare at present; if persons on the list will be accommodated by 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 227 and 230 together.
I am aware of the housing needs in County Kildare as determined by the assessments of needs carried out by housing authorities as at 31 March 1991. The results of the assessments are published in the Annual Housing Statistics Bulletin 1991, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library. A further assessment is being carried out by housing authorities to determine the position as at 31 March 1993.
Work on determining the number of houses to be allocated to each housing authority, including those in County Kildare, for the 1993 construction programme is well advanced and housing authorities will be notified of their allocations as soon as possible.
The increased national programme of 3,500 local authority house starts for 1993, together with the various schemes under "A Plan for Social Housing", will make a significant impact in reducing housing needs in County Kildare and elsewhere. As already announced in the Programme for a Partnership Government, the aim of the Government's housing policies is to reduce the pressure on waiting lists to the greatest extent possible in the period 1993 to 1997.
