Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Members for their contributions. This is a time of enormous and unprecedented change in the housing sector. In that context, the Government has set very ambitious goals and is delivering. To realise the changes that have taken place, one has only to look at the results of the last census, which indicate that the population increased by approximately 8% in a six-year period. The number of people between 25 and 34 increased by 18%. People in this age group are the ones who are buying houses and forming new families and relationships. The statistics demonstrate the pressure on the market but we are meeting the demand and providing record levels of housing. Investments of record levels have been made in the social and affordable housing sectors.

It is not just a matter of numbers as the quality of the houses developed is very high. As I stated previously, one third of the housing stock is very new, having been built in the past ten years. Not only are resources being ploughed into the construction of new houses but they are also being ploughed into older estates under the remedial works scheme. Some €35 million per year is allocated in this regard, and the investment in regeneration programmes amounts to approximately €130 million per year. Ballymun, Dublin's inner city, parts of Cork and Limerick and elsewhere have benefited in this regard. We started the central heating programme last year because approximately 45,000 local authority houses had no central heating. We are providing new houses and upgrading the existing stock.

The allocations in last year's and this year's housing budget amount to €2 billion. I heard Senator Ulick Burke state there is a delay every year in respect of the local authorities getting their allocations. However, we have agreed five-year action plans with the local authorities and they can fast-track them if they like. They do not have to wait until March, April or May in any year for their allocation because we have made a five-year deal with them involving five-year capital envelopes. They can get on with business and therefore the excuse of there being delays has worn out.

Part V has been mentioned. Its provisions have been slow to come on-stream but will be very important. Part V is delivering and will be a considerable source of social and affordable houses. I have heard different views on it in recent times but, regardless of these, it will be very relevant and successful.

Senator Moylan spoke about the sale scheme and said that if a site in a rural area has been provided to the local authority for a house and that house is being sold 30 years later, it is not fair of the local authority to charge the full, open market price. If that is happening in Offaly or anywhere else, the local authority is wrong. The rules and guidelines from the Department are clear. If a site is given or sold cheaply to the local authority, when the house is bought out later the person must get a considerable discount. The calculation should be based on the house minus the price of the site. If any local authority is not adhering to the rules, it should be pulled up for it.

The assessment of needs was mentioned. We carried out an assessment of needs some months ago but the figures are not yet ready. It is an extraordinarily tortuous job in conjunction with the local authorities but the figures will be released in the coming months. Regardless of what the figures are, everybody is aware that some people are on the local authority waiting lists in the hope that the ideal house will become available for them. There is want and there is need. Everybody on the local authority waiting list is not in immediate need. Most of them are living with families and there are 60,000 living in the best of accommodation on rent allowance. It is not the case that their lives are on hold if they do not get the ideal house.

There was reference to the income limits for affordable housing. There are a couple of affordable housing schemes and the Affordable Homes Partnership is driving this process in the Dublin area. The overall income limits for the earlier schemes were adjusted in the summer of last year. We are working on these and expect to increase the figures again in the next few weeks. However, if the income and loan limits are increased too much, one ends up catering for a different cohort of people and forgetting the people at the bottom who need help as well. We must be mindful of the category of people we are trying to help.

I do not have time to answer all the points raised. Broadly, however, we are doing a considerable amount of work. A sum of €2 billion is being spent per year on the housing budget alone. That is a fact. Members might rubbish that fact and say we can do more because there are still people on the lists. Of course, there are and we are doing our best to help them. The simple statistic is that we are spending €2 billion per year on social and affordable housing. Our record is a successful one. We are not getting complacent or suggesting there is nobody waiting for housing. We are aware of the realities. The issue is to continue what we are doing and to seek more finance to solve the problems of people who need housing, to upgrade the housing stock and make them sustainable and to make the communities that live in them more sustainable. Given the level of resources being made available, we will have further success in coming years.