Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 12 Dec 2000

Vol. 528 No. 1

Written Answers. - Local Authority Housing.

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

16 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of applicants on local authority housing waiting lists at the latest date for which figures are available; the number of local authority housing units completed during 1999, to date in 2000, and the number expected to be completed during 2000; the numbers of persons he estimates will be on local authority housing lists at the end of 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29449/00]

Michael Finucane

Ceist:

28 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his proposals to implement the NESF housing report recommendations to reduce local authority waiting lists by 70% over two years; and if he has new proposals in view of the latest statistics showing a 17% increase in housing waiting lists for local authorities. [29217/00]

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

65 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the recent figures produced by Focus Ireland showing an increase of 17% in the number of applicants on waiting lists for local authority housing; the steps he will take to deal with the crisis in local authority housing to ensure that those on the lists are housed within a reasonable period of time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29430/00]

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 28 and 65 together.

The results of the statutory assessment of housing needs undertaken by local authorities at the end of March 1999 indicated a total of 39,176 households in need of local authority housing. From ongoing contacts by my Department with local authorities it is estimated that needs have increased over the past year by around 15%.

I am aware that Focus Ireland recently published figures on needs which it obtained from individual local authorities. However, some of these figures represent the number of applicants rather than the assessed needs.

With regard to the NESF recommendation on waiting lists it is incorrect to suggest that it recommended a 70% reduction in waiting lists over two years. The NESF recommended that 70% of households assessed as being in need of housing should be housed within two years of going on to the waiting lists and that a longer-term target should be fixed for the elimination of all waiting lists. Information available from the 1999 assessment of housing need indicates that two-thirds of households assessed as in need of local authority housing were on the local authority waiting list for less than two years and it is the case that a significant number of households on waiting lists are housed within two years.

The Government is addressing the increased need for local authority housing in every way that is open to it. Capital funding for the local authority housing programme will increase by 44% next year following an increase of 36% this year. Overall funding provided for the local authority housing programme at almost £450 million will have more than doubled since this Government came into office in 1997 and the overall provision for local authority and social housing will have trebled.

I have also taken a range of measures to assist local authorities to expand their housing programmes and to expand overall social housing output. This has included the introduction of a four year multi-annual local authority housing programme for the period 2000-3. I have also considerably expanded the voluntary housing programme. This year, expected output from the voluntary side is likely to be around 1,000 houses and most of these are allocated to persons on the waiting list. In addition, as part of the Government's Action on Housing the Government decided to increase the number of local authority housing units by an extra 1,000 units in each year from 2001 to 2006. I notified local authorities recently of the allocation of 3,000 of these extra units for the period covering the multi-annual programme up to 2003. The four year multi-annual programme will, therefore, increase from 22,000 to 25,000 housing units. By way of contrast, in the early 1990s local authority housing output was averaging about 1,000 units per annum. I have also encouraged local authorities to front load their programmes as much as possible to meet the increased level of need. In effect this allows local authorities to commence as many local authority housing projects as they can at the earliest possible time.

The total number of houses completed or acquired by local authorities during 1999 was 3,713, compared to 3,290 in 1998. I expect that completions including acquisitions for the year 2000 will be in excess of last year's level and possibly up to 4,000 units. I estimate that the overall number of houses commenced this year will be 5,000 units, the highest figure for many years.

The Government is fully aware of the increased level of social housing need and priority is being given to tackling this need. The local authority housing programme is only one of a range of ways in which the needs of households on local authority waiting lists may be met. I am confident that the enhanced multi-annual local authority housing programme, together with the increased output from the complementary social housing measures and vacancies occurring in the existing stock, will enable the housing needs of around 10,000 households to be met this year and that the increased social housing output over the coming four years will meet the needs of over 50,000 households. This level of social housing output will impact positively on the number of householders on waiting lists.