Vol. 568 No. 5
446 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the extent to which the number of applicants on local authority housing lists has grown in the past five years; his proposals to meet these requirements in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16898/03]
The results of the statutory assessment of local authority housing need, which was undertaken by local authorities in March 2002, indicated that a total of 48,413 households were in need of housing, compared with 39,176 households in March 1999. Detailed information on the results of the 2002 assessment was published in my Department's September 2002 quarterly edition of the Housing Statistics Bulletin, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library.
The Government has been conscious of the increased level of social housing need and has been responding actively to this situation by expanding on our social and affordable housing output. For example, it is anticipated that total social and affordable housing activity this year, taking account of new local authority housing, vacancies arising in existing houses, output in the voluntary sector and under other social housing measures will meet the needs of approximately 12,000 households.
