Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The voluntary and co-operative housing sector has an important contribution to make in the provision of social housing. By working in close partnership with local authorities, it plays a significant role in supplementing the efforts of local authorities in providing social housing in areas where particular housing needs have been identified. It is supported by my Department through two separate funding schemes, the capital assistance scheme, which addresses the special housing needs of persons such as the elderly, disabled and homeless, and the loan subsidy scheme, which provides housing for families in need.

The Government is fully committed to developing and expanding the sector and to supplying the necessary resources and support to enable it to become an important and significant force and provider in the housing area. This commitment is reflected in the National Development Plan 2000-2006 which includes ambitious targets for output by the sector for each year of the plan. There has been a steady increase in output by the sector from a level of 579 units of accommodation in 1999 to reach a record output of over 1,600 units in 2004.

Capital spending on these schemes has been increased significantly from €47 million in 1999 to €183 million in 2004. In conjunction with this funding for the voluntary housing programmes, my Department has also initiated the development by local authorities of five-year action plans, commencing in 2004, for the delivery of social and affordable housing, including the voluntary programme, to ensure a systematic and integrated approach to the effective use of these resources. I am concerned to ensure that the considerable investment involved has benefits in the long-term in breaking cycles of disadvantages and dependency. In this regard, it is anticipated that the voluntary and co-operative housing sector will continue to be involved in the provision of social housing and that the output of the sector will reach the targets contained in the current and subsequent action plans.