Vol. 427 No. 8
164 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are 500 applications for local authority housing in County Mayo; the way in which he proposes to deal with this figure and have it alleviated as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I am aware of the number of households accepted by the housing authorities in County Mayo for inclusion in the assessments of needs carried out under section 9 of the Housing Act, 1988 at 31 March 1991. The results of the assessments are published in the Department's 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 at 31 March 1993.
The housing policies set out in the Programme for a Partnership Government, particularly the greatly increased programme of 3,500 new local authority housing "starts" in 1993 and the commitment to an appropriate long term building programme, together with the implementation of the various schemes in "A Plan for Social Housing", will make a significant impact on reducing pressure on housing lists in County Mayo and elsewhere.
