Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 359 and 360 together.

Details regarding total house completions, including those provided by the State, under the local authority housing programme and the voluntary and co-operative housing sector are set out in my Department's housing statistics bulletin, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library and on the Department's website at www.environ.ie.

Details from the statistics bulletin reveal that the number of social houses completed by the local authorities and under the various voluntary housing schemes has doubled since 2000 — table 1. The share of social housing has increased by approximately 30% since 2000. This reflects successful policies to encourage an increase in overall housing supply together with a commitment to increasing the rate for building of social houses.

These figures do not reflect the total provision of social housing as they do not include the number of acquisitions of housing units for social rented accommodation or the casual vacancies in social housing stock that occur each year. It is expected that the accommodation needs of more than 13,000 households will have been addressed in 2004 through the various social and affordable housing measures.

A definitive breakdown of house completions either by type of purchaser or whether they were second, holiday or investment homes cannot be provided at present. My Department is in discussion with the Central Statistics Office regarding the collection of more reliable information on second homes with the objective of addressing this information deficit.