Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 61: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to increase social housing provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42857/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 91: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the extent to which he plans to address the issue of housing need of the 80,000 families on local authority housing lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42970/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 61 and 91 together.

Meeting social housing need remains a high priority for the Government. While ensuring that the full range of needs continues to be met, 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.

I am determined to ensure that the programme is framed in a manner which continues to optimise the delivery of social housing. To achieve this, it is essential that we tailor the use of available Exchequer supports to prevailing market conditions, and explore alternative solutions to address housing needs, having full regard to the sustainable communities philosophy outlined in the Government's housing policy statement Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities.

To this end, the range of delivery mechanisms continues to be adapted and expanded. For example, I announced earlier this year the introduction of a new Social Housing Leasing Initiative, through which it is expected that a substantial number of dwellings will be provided in the years ahead to meet housing needs, estimated at just over 56,000 households in the 2008 Housing Needs Assessment. This, together with the Rental Accommodation Scheme, complements the traditional capital funded programmes operated through local authorities and the voluntary and co-operative housing sector.

I will be keeping the leasing initiative and all the other housing programmes under ongoing review to ensure that they are appropriately geared towards meeting the maximum level of housing need.