"HOUSING"

Not a trashcan

The issue of public housing played a key role in the Northern Ireland Civil Rights movement

in the 1960's. Public housing at this stage was mainly allocated by the local councils, and

there was much evidence of discrimination in housing allocation against members of the

Catholic community.
Public housing in Northern Ireland today is provided by the Northern Ireland Housing

Executive. This body was established in May 1971, and was intended to (a) improve the

delivery of housing functions, (b) improve house conditions and (c) meet housing need. Its

creation was also an attempt to take housing decisions out of the political arena and place

them in the hands of a more neutral professional organisation.
In the early 1970's, much of the housing provision in Northern Ireland was inadequate. In

1971, only 63 percent of Catholic homes in Northern Ireland had hot water, a fixed bath

or shower, and an inside WC, as opposed to 72 percent of Protestant homes. This gap

has however been eradicated over the past 25 years, with almost all homes in Northern

Ireland (98 percent), both Catholic and Protestant being furnished with these facilities.
Since 1971, the Government has invested over £9,000 million in public housing in Northern

Ireland.
27 percent of the people in Northern Ireland are currently living in public housing, provided

by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE). In 1995, the total number of people

on the waiting list for Housing Executive accommodation was 23,355. Of this number,

11,196 were classed as urgent. These figures have changed very little over the past

number of years. In 1985, the total number of people on the waiting list stood at 24,468.
The annual rate of increase in the number of dwellings in Northern Ireland is one of the

highest in the UK for both private and public sector.
Individuals in Northern Ireland have traditionally spent, and continue to spend less per

year on housing than anywhere else in the UK.
Over the past six years, Northern Ireland has experienced a 61 percent increase in house

prices, compared with a nine percent increase in house prices in the U.K.
In 1996, the average price of all houses in Northern Ireland exceeded £50,000. This is

the highest figure to date, and it continues to rise. Meanwhile, the average price of a new

house in Northern Ireland rose from £41,000 in 1989 to £61,000 in 1996.
Some 400,000 people in Northern Ireland now own, or are in the process of buying their

own homes. This accounts for approximately 68 percent of all tenure groups, and

represents an increase of 14 percent since 1981.

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