Vol. 558 No. 6
180 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the action he is taking and available to him to ensure that local authorities are doing everything possible to progress the affordable housing scheme; if his attention has been drawn to the concern of many that not enough progress is being made with the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25200/02]
The administration of the affordable housing scheme is a matter for individual local authorities. Houses may be provided under the scheme by local authorities building them themselves or acquiring them from a developer on a turnkey basis. The target for completion under the national development plan is 1,000 dwellings per annum. Progress has been slower than expected, in part due to the time lag between land acquisition and construction and sale. However, since the introduction of a site subsidy in June 2000 the number of transactions has increased. At the end of September 2002, a total of 598 dwellings were completed, 2,116 were under construction and 3,425 were in planning. I expect that some 800 dwellings will be completed under the scheme this year and, given the number presently under construction, I am confident that this figure will be greatly exceeded next year.
