Vol. 515 No. 3
244 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the most recent initiative, if any, taken by him with a view to identifying the full extent of the housing crisis and taking the necessary measures to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6214/00]
The Government approved a range of measures in Action on House Prices (April 1998) and Action on the Housing Market (March 1999) to accelerate the provision of additional housing supply and bring balance to the housing market. Copies of these documents are available in the Oireachtas Library.
The most recent comprehensive assessment of local authority housing needs was carried out in March 1999 and the results were published in the September quarter 1999 housing statistics Bulletin. In response to increased need, the local authority housing programme has been significantly expanded to provide 22,000 additional local authority house starts over a four-year multi-annual programme, 2000-2003. The multi-annual nature of the programme will enable the more effective planning and implementation of local authority housing delivery. Significantly increased levels of funding assistance are being provided to voluntary housing bodies under the voluntary housing schemes, including for the first time additional assistance towards site acquisition costs. A voluntary and co-operative housing unit has been established in my Department which will be responsible for developing the voluntary and co-operative housing sector with a view to increasing output to a target of over 4,000 units per year. I also established a housing supply unit in my Department to ensure urgent and effective delivery of the housing supply measures and to identify any additional measures that might be put in place to further increase housing supply. The £6 billion investment in social and affordable housing in the national development plan will ensure that the housing needs of over 90,000 households will be met with Government assistance over the plan period.
Most recently, the Government agreed a wide range of housing commitments with the social partners in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.
