Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Minister of State has not answered the question I asked. What is the total number of people considered to have a housing need? There are 60,000 households on rent supplement. They are required to have a housing need in order to qualify for rent supplement. Not everyone on a local authority housing list is on rent supplement. The Minister of State gave the figure for those on local authority waiting lists and in receipt of rent supplement as 13,778. This leaves 30,000 households on local authority housing lists and not on rent supplement. This means the minimum number of households with a housing need is not 43,000, which figure the Minister of State repeatedly cites, but 90,000.

Can the Minister answer the question I asked? What is the total number of people considered to have a housing need? How many people cannot meet their housing needs from their own resources and require assistance from the State?

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