I am conscious of the increased level of social housing need and considerable priority is being afforded to tackling this need. The Government had already taken action in advance of the results of the assessment of need. Increased resources were provided for the local authority housing programme with 4,500 house starts or purchases provided for in 1999. The first multi-annual local authority housing programme will commence in 2000 and provide 22,000 houses over the next four years. I am also committed to expanding voluntary housing output to deliver up to 4,000 additional units per annum over coming years.
I will shortly determine and notify allocations to individual authorities for the four year multi-annual housing programme and I will take into consideration the results of the needs assessment and the capacity of local authorities to deliver effectively on housing programmes. The early notification of the multi-annual allocations will enable them to produce a streamlined delivery of housing output over the next four years and provide a better and more effective mechanism of social housing delivery. I will ask local authorities to front load their programmes as much as possible where the increased level of housing needs warrants it.
I am confident that the enhanced multi-annual local authority housing programme, together with the output from complementary social housing measures and vacancies occurring in the existing housing stock, will enable the housing needs of up to 9,800 households to be catered for in 1999. The increased social housing output over the next four years, provided for in the national development plan, will meet the needs of more than 50,000 households. I expect that the needs of the weakest sector of the community will be adequately addressed through the local authority housing programme.