Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 223: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of housing starts to be funded from his recently announced capital allocation to the various local authorities in County Kildare in respect of the public housing programme; the number of persons expected to be facilitated under this heading in 2009; the extent to which the numbers on the housing lists are to be reduced; if a specific reduction has been planned or anticipated; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some housing applicants have been on such lists for up to 12 years; when he expects such needs to be met in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4140/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 229: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of persons on local authority waiting lists; the extent to which it is expected to reduce such numbers in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4147/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 231: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of local authority housing starts expected to accrue from his recently announced public housing programme; the extent to which this is expected to affect the number of people on local authority housing waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4149/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 223, 229 and 231 together.

The number of households on a local authority's waiting list continuously fluctuates as households on the list are allocated housing and new households apply for housing support. My Department does not hold information on waiting lists. A statutory assessment of housing need is carried out every three years by all housing authorities in accordance with the terms of the Housing Act 1988. The last assessment took place in March 2008 and indicated that there were 56,249 households in need of social housing support, an increase of some 30% on the corresponding figure in 2005. Further information regarding the assessments is available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie, including a breakdown of the net need figure by housing authority.

With regard to the expected impact of the social housing investment programme on waiting lists, it is up to individual housing authorities, including the authorities in Kildare, to plan the composition, management and delivery of their programmes having regard to the specific social housing priorities in their areas and to the Exchequer funding allocations available to them, which are based on their identified 2008 needs. These programmes will be considered by my Department as part of the annual Housing Action Plan Review process which is due to commence shortly. It is expected that through the social housing investment programme in 2009 and, having regard to the availability of suitable housing in the current housing market, including through the recently announced long-term leasing initiative, good progress will be made this year in meeting NDP social housing supply targets.