Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

The Government's commitment to improving social and affordable housing is reflected in a number of recent announcements. In May I announced this year's allocations for the commencement of 5,500 new housing starts by local authorities to be further boosted to 6,000 starts when new house starts under the regeneration programmes, principally in Ballymun, are taken into consideration. In addition, the main local authority construction programme will deliver the completion of 5,500 units this year. Output by the voluntary and co-operative sector is expected to add a further 1,800 house completions to supplement the main local authority housing construction programme.

At the request of my Department, new multi-annual action plans have been prepared by local authorities for the provision of social and affordable housing for the period 2004 to 2008. These have been approved by my Department and are designed to assist local authorities in identifying priority needs in the next few years and providing a coherent, co-ordinated response across all housing services, including delivery of housing by the voluntary and co-operative sector. Financial envelopes have been secured for the next five years to underpin the multi-annual approach in the action plans.

It is anticipated this year that total social housing provision, including new local authority housing, vacancies that arise in existing houses and output under the various measures, should meet the needs of about 13,000 households. This compares with 8,500 households in 1998. In addition, it is anticipated that the number of households in private accommodation will transfer to the new rental accommodation scheme. The Government's commitment to making housing more affordable is reflected in last week's announcement of the new affordable homes partnership. The partnership will drive and co-ordinate the delivery of affordable housing in the greater Dublin area.

It is also intended that the partnership will take responsibility, as far as practicable, for the affordable housing initiative projects on State lands in the greater Dublin area. This will include the use of the land swap option, similar to that piloted on the Harcourt Terrace Lane site. The partnership will work initially via the existing planning development framework, but additional legislative powers will be available should they prove necessary.

As part of the broader delivery of housing nationally, all local authorities will review their land management strategies to maximise the availability of land for their housing programmes and voluntary and co-operative housing partnerships with the private sector, and to secure more active use of brownfield land and derelict sites. I believe that the development of the action plans and the increased capital investment this year in housing, along with the establishment of the new affordable homes partnership, reflects the Government's targeted response to social and affordable housing need.

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