Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 84: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps he intends to take to increase the social and affordable housing stock in view of the fact that rent supplement, which was designed to be a temporary solution for housing individual families, has become a social housing programme that is clearly not working and is not benefiting those affected by the housing crisis. [22485/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The new Housing Policy Framework: Building Sustainable Communities launched by Government last December provides for further increases in the investment in social and affordable housing programmes. Exchequer capital resources provided to my Department for these programmes for the period 2006 to 2008 stand at almost €4 billion, over 20% higher than the previous three years, and this sum increases to over €6.5 billion when non-voted and current spending provisions are included. This money will be invested in response to identified need. It is expected that in the region of (23,000) new units of social housing will be commenced and 15,000 units of affordable housing delivered over the period. Further households will be assisted through the new Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) which is an additional form of social housing established to provide for those rent supplement recipients with a long-term housing need. In total, I expect some 50,000 households to benefit from various social and affordable housing measures over the coming three years.

Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 85: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make a statement on the EBS report on affordable housing issued in June 2006. [22563/06]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in view of the fact, there is a real probability that mortgage interest rates will continue to increase over the coming 18 months, his views on the findings of the affordability index produced by EBS Building Society and DKM Economic Consultants on 6 June 2006 which found that mortgages State wide cost 27 per cent of earnings on average, with first-time buyers in Dublin spending 32 per cent of their income on repayments. [22482/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 128 together.

I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 53 and 55 on today's order paper.