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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 16 Jun 1982

Vol. 336 No. 2

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EEC Housing Matters.

18.

asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware that the EEC Ministers within the European Community with responsibility for housing have never as such met in their capacity as housing Ministers; if he will indicate the reasons the Community has not so far adopted an overall policy with a view to establishing the following areas of policy priority within the Community: (a) a common register of statistics including a definition of homelessness; (b) a clear estimate of the number of people who are on local authority housing waiting lists throughout the Community; (c) the number of persons who are homeless within the Community; and (d) the number of families or households who are homeless in the Community; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I am so aware. A report on the housing situation in member countries is contained in the Report on Social Developments which is published annually by the Commission of the European Communities. Financial assistance from the Commission in respect of housing is very limited because of the pressure of demands on funds such as the Common Agricultural Fund, the Regional Fund and the Social Fund.

As regards the second part of the question, an extensive range of comparative housing statistics relating to EEC countries and to other countries is already available in the Annual Bulletin of Housing and Building Statistics for Europe and in the United Nations Yearbook of Construction Statistics. The bulletin is published by the Economic Commission for Europe, which is a subsidiary body of the United Nations. At present the nature and extent of the statistics available is being reviewed by the Economic Commission and by the Conference of European Statisticians. In this connection the points made by the Deputy will be borne in mind, but I should add at this stage that it may be impractical for most countries to supply some of the statistics referred to by him.

In the comprehensive White Paper on Housing, which I propose to publish around the end of this year, I intend to include the principal comparative international housing statistical indicators.

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