Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action he intends to take in respect of the two thirds of local authorities which failed to spend allocated funds on the provision of social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22222/05]

Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 110: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reasons for the failure of certain local authorities to spend funds allocated for social housing when there are almost 50,000 families on housing lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22223/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 110 together.

Since the beginning of the national development plan, spending by local authorities on social housing has been ahead of target. My Department, in its overall responsibility for managing housing capital budgets, seeks to ensure that these are allocated in accordance with individual needs to ensure that these resources are spent as effectively as possible. Where one authority might not require its full capital allocation in a particular year, my Department makes reassignments of balances to other authorities to cater for the increased pace of construction activity on other housing schemes.

The Government is allocating record levels of funding to local authorities for their social and affordable housing programmes in 2005. The total Exchequer capital funding available for social and affordable housing in 2005, taking account of the additional resources announced in the budget, will be almost €1.18 billion, which represents an increase of 17% on the outturn in 2004.

In association with this funding, my Department initiated the development by local authorities of new five-year action plans for social and affordable housing, to ensure a systematic and integrated approach to the effective use of these resources. Given the nature of continuous housing need, the preparation of these action plans is beneficial to local authorities in identifying priority needs over the coming years and providing a coherent and co-ordinated response across all housing services, including delivery of housing by the voluntary and co-operative housing sector. All of these action plans have now been approved by my Department.