I have over the years heard many calls for the declaration of a housing emergency or a housing crisis and any such declaration would achieve little, if anything. What is required is well thought out effective action by Government in response to the prevailing housing problems.
I have met a number of voluntary housing organisations who are seeking the establishment of a national commission on housing and I have agreed to meet them again. I am open to any useful ideas which will help to meet housing needs. The newly appointed NESC will, at an early meeting, consider a proposal for a study on housing. I understand preparatory work for such a study is under way in the NESC secretariat.
The Government's housing priorities are set out in An Action Programme for the Millennium and include a commitment to the deeply held aspiration for home ownership, a continuation of the local authority and voluntary housing programmes and more effective implementation of the social housing measures.
My priorities since taking office have been to ensure urgent action in the problem areas including badly needed improvements in the range of social housing measures and the house prices issue which was tackled comprehensively with the Government's Action on House Prices. This involved a three pronged approach designed to increase the supply of housing, reduce excessive investment demand and assist lower income house purchasers.
I am also seeking increased resources for social housing in the context of the 1999 Estimates. It is open to local authorities to acquire land for housing purposes and the acquisition and development costs of land for local authority, voluntary and private housing under the low cost sites scheme is met from existing capital allocations for these purposes. I will consider ways in which local authorities might be further assisted in this.
