Dáil Question

4th November

Social Housing

Mr. Cuffe: Will the Minister provide sufficient funding to acquire, enable and provide 10,000 social housing units in 2005? [27586/04]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. N. Ahern): The Government have responded actively to the increased level of social housing need by expanding social and affordable housing output very significantly. Spending on housing has increased substantially in recent years, with capital spending in 2004 at four times the 1998 level. The focus of the Government's spending on housing is on responding to the needs of low-income groups and those with social and special housing needs through a broad range of targeted initiatives. It is anticipated that through these measures the needs of over 13,000 households will be met in 2004, compared to some 8,500 households in 2000. This includes over 10,000 households assisted through various forms of social rented accommodation, involving new local authority and voluntary and co-operative housing and vacancies arising in existing local authority houses.

The Government are committed to the continued expansion of the social rented housing stock through local authority and voluntary and co-operative housing. The decision to introduce five-year multi-annual capital investment programmes provides an important opportunity to ensure a structured basis for the planning and delivery of all social and affordable housing programmes. Consequently, to maximise the benefits of this multi-annual approach, local authorities have been requested to prepare five-year social and affordable housing action plans for the period 2004 to 2008.

The main objective in developing these action plans, is the need to ensure that the investment available for these programmes achieves the desired effect in the long term by tackling real need and breaking cycles of disadvantage and dependency having regard to the funding available under the 5 year multi annual capital envelopes. The Department is currently assessing the draft action plans submitted by the local authorities with a view to finalising them by the end of the year.

The expanded social and affordable housing provision over recent years has had a beneficial impact on the social rented housing stock. Returns from local authorities would indicate that the number of occupied local authority dwellings has increased in recent years. The number of occupied local authority dwellings at end 2003 was in the order of 105,000, compared with over 99,200 at the end of 1998. Having regard to activity on the tenant purchase scheme over the past four years an average of 1,500 units are required each year to replace units disposed of through the scheme.

Ciarán Cuffe is a TD for the Dún Laoghaire Dáil Constituency. Ciarán can be contacted at Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 or 96 Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire Tel. 284 6060 or 618 3082, Fax 618 4341, Email Ciaran CiaranCuffe.com