Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 361: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of persons currently on the various local authority housing waiting lists; when he expects this demand to be met in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37055/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The statutory assessment of housing need is undertaken by local authorities on a triennial basis. The most recent assessment of need for social housing was undertaken by local authorities in March 2005. The results of that assessment indicated that there were 43,684 households on local authority housing waiting lists. More comprehensive data in relation to the 2005 assessment at an individual local authority level was published in the Annual Bulletin of Housing Statistics, a copy of which is available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie.

My Department has successfully promoted a range of measures to provide additional social housing in recent years, and is committed to maintaining a strong programme of social housing provision into the future. In the coming three year period 2007-2009 we are specifically committed to further additional investment in social housing with 27,000 new units to be started over the period. This will include the commencement/ acquisition of an additional 4,000 new housing units through a combination of local authority, voluntary and co-operative housing and RAS long-term contractual arrangements for new supply as provided for under Towards 2016.