Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 7 Mar 2002

Vol. 550 No. 2

Written Answers. - Housing Statistics.

Michael D. Higgins

Question:

374 Mr. M. Higgins 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 Galway City Council and Galway County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7503/02]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Molloy):

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 in March 1999 indicated a total of 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. The next comprehensive assessment of housing need is due to be undertaken by local authorities at the end of this month.

Galway City Council and Galway County Council, incorporating Ballinasloe Town Council, have completed their housing strategies under Part V of the Planning and Development Act, 2000. Galway City Council expects an additional 658 households to be in need of social and affordable housing over the period 2000-04 while Galway County Council estimate an extra 1,776 households in need of social and affordable housing in the period 2001-06. These strategies will fall to be reviewed in the light of the results of the upcoming assessment of housing need.

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	2000-2003
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 2000 are published in my Department's annual bulletin of housing statistics, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library. The number of local authority house completions-acquisitions for 2001 was over 5,000 units. A detailed breakdown of this figure will be published shortly in my Department's annual bulletin of housing statistics for 2001.

Question No. 375 answered with Question No. 373.