Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the Seanad to outline recent developments in housing policy and to update Senators on the positive effect of our policies. We all would agree that housing is a vital element in our national infrastructure and access to good housing is essential to our continued economic success. This is why housing has been high on the Government's agenda since we took office nine years ago. It was clear then that demand was outstripping supply, with just 38,000 housing units completed in 1997. Action obviously needed to be taken and nobody can argue that we have not delivered results.

In the intervening period 500,000 homes have been built. Indeed, it is staggering to think that three out of every ten homes in the country have been built in the period since the Government came into office nine years ago. It reflects the priority the Government has accorded to ensuring the necessary procedures, systems, planning and resources are all in place to meet the needs of our people.

At this stage, it is likely that the number of new house completions this year will exceed all previous records. I mentioned that in 1997 total housing output was 38,000. Earlier, in 1991-92, output was approximately 22,000 houses. Output, therefore, has increased from 22,000 houses in the early 1990s, to 38,000 houses in 1997, and has increased every year since. It was 81,000 last year and it looks clear at this stage that there will be a new record this year. In fact, we have the figures today for the first eight months of this year and I will be formally releasing these to the media later in the day.