Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 444: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of families registered on the various local authority housing lists; his plans to meet their permanent housing requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37607/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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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. A statutory assessment of housing need is carried out every three years by all housing authorities. The last assessment took place in 2008 and indicated that there were 56,249 households in need of social housing support. Detailed information on this assessment, including a breakdown by housing authority, is available on my Department's website – .

Meeting social housing need remains a high priority for the Government. While ensuring that we can deliver across the full range of needs, 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 this end, the range of delivery mechanisms continues to be adapted and expanded. For example, in 2009 I announced 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. 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.