Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action he proposes to take to address the inadequacy of the public housing programme to meet requirements, with particular reference to the need to make sufficient provision to meet the housing needs of all applicants on local authority housing lists here; if he will indicate a programme with specific objectives over the next three years in this regard; his strategic plans to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25113/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 161: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of houses that will be provided by the various local authorities directly excluding the voluntary sector on foot of the funding currently available from his Department in 2009; the degree to which he will address the local authority housing lists in 2009 or subsequent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25326/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 161 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. It is up to individual housing authorities to plan their social housing investment programmes having regard to the specific social housing priorities in their areas and to the Exchequer funding allocations available to them. €1.3 billion is being provided for the broad range of social housing programmes this year, with €760 million of this earmarked for the main local authority housing programme, including €20 million for long-term leasing arrangements.

To ensure that the Social Housing Investment Programme is delivered in a coherent and co-ordinated manner housing authorities are required to prepare multi-annual Housing Action Plans, which encompass delivery of social and affordable housing in their areas. Earlier in 2009 my Department held Housing Action Plan meetings with all housing authorities. The purpose of these meetings was to discuss the direction and content of authorities' proposed housing investment programmes and particularly to consider the prioritisation of projects and the reconfiguration of the Social Housing Investment Programme as a whole, so that it can be sustained and consolidated in the changing economic and budgetary circumstances. In this regard, particular emphasis continues to be placed on achieving best value for money while maintaining the programme flexibility necessary to respond to changing needs or circumstances, and utilising the full range of programme options in order to avail of supply opportunities that may arise in a housing market.

Taking all the social housing programmes together, excluding those of the voluntary and co-operative housing sector, and having regard to the capacity to access suitable housing available in the current housing market through the long-term leasing initiative, it is expected that in the region of 5,000 dwellings will be provided this year.

The scale and composition of the public housing programme in the years ahead will be dependent on a number of factors, including the level of available funding and the evolution of the housing market generally. Subject to these factors, I am determined to ensure that the programme is framed in a manner which measures the capacity to meet housing needs, particularly in respect of the most vulnerable sections of society.