The Labour Party has called on the Government to publish immediately the latest figures showing local authority housing needs. It is understood there are now 38,000 people on waiting lists for public housing with increases, in the last three years, of almost 200 per cent in some parts of the State.
The Labour spokesman on the environment, Mr Eamon Gilmore, said the Government had "sought to deny all along that we are in the midst of a dire housing crisis". The Minister responsible for housing, Mr Molloy, had "concealed the figures from the public and opposition alike".
A spokesman for the Department of the Environment said the figures would be published in the autumn.
According to a report in the Sunday Business Post, over the last 12 months waiting lists have doubled in eight local authority areas.
Mr Gilmore claimed the real waiting lists level was closer to 50,000 people as "many young couples in search of housing will not sign up to local authority housing lists because they know their income levels are such that they can never hope to be housed".
Mr Molloy told RTE that a lot of people were on the local authority housing lists because they could not get rented accommodation and did not feel they could buy a house. The waiting list figures had been expected, he said, and the Government had to plan to meet this demand.
As part of the new planning and development Bill being drafted by the Department, Mr Molloy said, it was intended that development plans would be for six-year periods, and zoning would apply only for the duration of such plans.