Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 425: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of houses directly built and tenanted by each local authority throughout the country in each of the past five years excluding those provided by voluntary organisations; the number of persons still on waiting lists in such local authorities at present; when it is expected such applicants' housing requirements are to be met in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14705/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Detailed information on the number of houses built by housing authorities is available in my Department's Annual and Quarterly Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are available on my Department's website www.environ.ie and in the Oireachtas Library. The 2005 assessment of need for social housing indicated that there were 43,684 households on local authority housing waiting lists. More comprehensive data in relation to the 2005 assessment is also available on my Department's website.

Record levels of funding for social and affordable housing are being provided in 2008 with over €2.5 billion available for housing programmes generally. The total Exchequer provision for social housing in 2008 is some €1.57 billion — an increase of approximately 13% on the 2007 outturn. This funding will allow for the commencement of a significant number of new social housing units, further progress under regeneration programmes, and the completion of a large number of units under both the local authority and voluntary housing programmes.

Good progress is being made on the delivery of social housing programmes with some 9,000 new social housing starts achieved in 2007. This is in line with the commitment in Towards 2016 to achieve 27,000 starts in the period 2007 to 2009. The resources being made available for social housing under the National Development Plan 2007-2013 will allow for the needs of some 60,000 households to be met over the full period of the Plan. Local authorities are currently carrying out the 2008 needs assessment, the results of which will be published in due course.