Written answers

Wednesday, 11 December 2019

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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72. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the summary of the 2019 social housing needs assessment. [51755/19]

Photo of Paul MurphyPaul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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89. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the most recent figures on the housing waiting list for four Dublin councils (details supplied). [51371/19]

Photo of Eoghan MurphyEoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 72 and 89 together.

Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area are set out in the statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).

The most recently conducted SSHA details the number of households on all local authority waiting lists as at 24 June 2019 (the count date). Since the count date, the Housing Agency have been examining the figures submitted by Local Authorities. The Agency recently submitted their report to me which provides information on the characteristics of the households on the list. The full report, including breakdowns by each local authority across a range of categories, is available on my Department’s website at the following link: .

The final numbers provided by the Housing Agency regarding the 2019 assessment show that 68,693 households were assessed as qualified and being in need of social housing support. This represents a decrease of 3,165 households or 4.4% on the last assessment in June 2018. Indeed, since the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan was launched in 2016, the numbers have decreased from 91,600 to 68,693, a reduction of 25%.

It should be noted that the SSHA is a point in time snapshot of the demand for social housing support in each local authority area and does not necessarily reflect the dynamic nature of entry to and exit from the housing waiting lists. Local authorities have provided 90,000 social housing supports in the period of Rebuilding Ireland to date.

The undertaking of the SSHA assists in providing a more strategic picture of the dynamics of the numbers applying for social housing supports and emerging trends. The purpose of the SSHA is to capture the total number of households qualified for social housing support across the country whose social housing need is not being met, in order to better understand the level of need for such support. The data garnered through the Summary 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.

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