Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1679. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of housing applicants on local authority lists after the assessment of needs of earlier in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36350/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Social Housing Strategy 2020, published in November 2014, included a commitment to undertake summaries of social housing assessments (SSHA) on an annual basis from 2016. The aim of the process is to capture the total number of households across the country which are qualified for social housing support and whose housing need is not currently being met. This data will allow my Department to target the delivery of social housing supports under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness to those most in need.

The summary process requires all housing authorities to review those households who are on their housing list but who are not currently in receipt of housing support to ensure that the details of the applicant households are up to date and accurate and that they are still eligible for, and in need of, social housing support. All local authorities then submit their returns electronically to a central IT system managed by the Local Government Management Agency.  This information is then verified, analysed and collated in a report submitted to my Department by the Housing Agency. This work is underway at present and I expect the 2017 Summary to be finalised and published later this year.