Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the total number of local authority houses built by each local authority and occupied by tenants in each of the past three years and to date in 2011; the degree to which it might be possible to increase this number in view of the economic advantages both for the tenant and the national economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11928/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Data in relation to social housing starts and completions are published in my Department's Quarterly Housing Statistics Bulletins while data in relation to lettings are set out in Annual Statistics Bulletins. Copies of each are available in the Oireachtas library and on my Department's website, www.environ.ie. Data in respect of 2010 and 2011 are not yet available.

Notwithstanding the very significant easing of affordability we have seen over the last number of years, the current adverse economic circumstances have impacted on the demand for social housing and the capacity to meet this demand. The straitened resource environment has accelerated the shift away from reliance on programmes of construction and acquisition.

The main focus in terms of supports provided by Government will be on meeting the most acute needs, the housing support needs of those unable to provide for their accommodation from own resources. We are committed to responding more quickly and on a larger scale to these needs, including those of older people, through a variety of mechanisms including through increased provision of social housing, continued strong support for special needs provision through the Capital Assistance Scheme and the suite of adaptation grants for older people and people with disabilities.

This will necessitate a continuing restructuring of the social housing investment programme to allow for delivery of new social housing through more flexible funding models, to enable us to meet our social housing delivery commitments in the period ahead while protecting, to the greatest extent possible, programmes targeting special needs. The social housing leasing initiative and, in particular, the Rental Accommodation Scheme will each play their part as long term mainstream social housing supports.

The Government is also committed to developing other funding mechanisms that will increase the supply of permanent new social housing. Such mechanisms will include options to purchase, build to lease, and the sourcing of loan finance by approved housing bodies, including from the Housing Finance Agency, for construction and acquisition.