Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 349: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of social and affordable houses each local authority has built in 2004, 2005 and to date in 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36948/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Data on the number of social and affordable houses in each local authority for each year, and for the first 6 months of 2006, are published in the Housing Statistics Bulletins, which are available in the Oireachtas Library and on the Department's website at www.environ.ie.

In December 2005, the Government launched a new Housing Policy Framework: Building Sustainable Communities, which outlines key principles underpinning housing policy and investment over the coming years. Substantial increased investment in social and affordable housing is outlined in the Framework. The Government have committed in the social partnership agreement, Towards 2016, to further additional investment in social housing with 27,000 new units to be started or acquired over the period 2007 to 2009. It is envisaged that these new units will be delivered through a combination of local authority social housing, voluntary and co-operative sector social housing and long-term contracts for new supply under the Rental Accommodation Scheme.

Over the same period it is expected that some 17,000 units of affordable housing will be delivered. As a result of the various social and affordable housing measures the needs of some 60,000 new households will be met over the period 2007-2009.