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Section 2 Context Context Section 2 2.13 Hungary Table 2.13.1 Characteristics of the Housing Stock in Hungary, 1996 Table 2.13.2 Economic Trends in Hungary, 1995-2001 2.13.1 Policy Making and Implementation Like many of the other Central and Eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004, the housing system and housing policy in Hungary has seen rapid change over the last decade. Before the early 1990s State funding played a major role in driving new housing output. However, the period since then has seen a range of radical changes to housing policy: ■ central government funding for housing has been cut significantly; ■ local government involvement in the construction of new social rented housing has declined significantly, and ■ the majority of the housing stock is now owneroccupied as a result of the privatisation of dwellings that were formerly rented from local authorities. Since the end of the 1990s central government has initiated a number of important new initiatives relevant to housing policy. The State support for rented housing programme was initiated in 2002. This programme provides subsidies to local authorities in order to increase the supply of rented housing. To date, 11,165 dwellings have been constructed under the auspices of the scheme, most of which are small in size with 1 or 2 rooms. 75% of the subsidies available under the scheme have been devoted to social housing. In 2001 a programme to refurbish system-built housing was initiated. To date, most of the works carried out under this scheme have involved insulation. In addition, a separate programme to fund housing refurbishment in the large cities has been established. 2.13.2 Stock In 2000 the number of dwellings in Hungary totalled 4,076,800, while the number of dwellings per 1,000 inhabitants stood at 406.7. The latter figure is just below the average for the 28 countries under Category % Households by number of rooms 1 room 1.8 2 rooms 15.3 3 rooms 41.2 4 rooms 29.5 5 rooms 8.2 6 or more rooms 4.0 Dwellings by tenure Owner-occupied 86.9 Rented 10.4 Dwellings by period of construction < 1919 15.6 1919-1940 13.9 1941-1960 12.1 1961-1970 15.1 1971-1980 21.4 1981-1990 17.5 > 1991 4.0 Dwellings by availability of amenities Piped water 84.4 Fixed bath or shower 79.6 Lavatory 75.6 Central heating 48.2 examination but considerably higher than the average among the CEE countries which acceded to EU membership in 2004. Indeed, the number of dwellings in Hungary is currently some 130,000 more than the number of households. At the same time there is a shortage of dwellings in parts of the country where economic growth is greatest, and due to high vacancy rates, there is also a problem of inadequate maintenance and poor housing standards. TABLE 2.13.1 details the characteristics of the Hungarian housing stock in 1996. It reveals that the average age of dwellings is old by European standards. Only 4% of dwellings have been built since 1991. In terms of the availability of amenities Hungarian dwellings compare well with the other CEE European countries that joined the EU in 2004 and with the applicant countries. However, in comparison with more long-standing EU members, Hungarian dwellings are not as well equipped. 84.4% of dwellings in this country had piped water in 1996, 75.6% had a lavatory and only 48.2% had central heating. Category 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 % % % % % % % Growth in GDP (at constant 1995 prices) (%) 1.5 1.3 4.6 4.9 4.2 5.2 3.9 Unemployed persons as a% of the labour force Nav 9.6 9.0 8.4 6.9 6.3 5.6 Change in the consumer price index (%) Nav 23.5 18.5 14.2 10.0 10.0 9.1 Table 2.13.3 Demographic Trends in Hungary, 1992-2000 Category 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 Population by age group (%) 0-14 years 19.5 18.6 18.0 17.4 16.9 15-24 years 15.0 15.5 15.6 15.5 14.9 25-49 years 34.8 34.9 35.0 35.2 35.4 50-64 years 17.1 17.1 17.1 17.2 17.7 65-79 years 11.0 11.1 11.5 21.1 12.4 > 80 years 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.5 Population change (per 1,000 population) Net migration 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.6 National population change –2.6 –3.0 –3.7 –4.2 –3.7 Average number of persons per private households Nav Nav 3.4 Nav 2.7 Like some new EU member States, tenure patterns in Hungary have undergone radical change in the last decade. Previously the majority of dwellings in urban areas were rented from the State or local government, and most rural dwellings were privately owned. During the 1990s most urban rented dwellings were sold at a low price to tenants. Of the stock of dwellings owned by local government in 1990, approximately 90% had been sold by the end of 1998. 2.13.3 Economy The rate of GDP increase in Hungary rose steadily, from 1.3% to 5.2% between 1996 and 2000, before falling again to 3.9% in 2001. At the same time inflation and unemployment rates in this country have fallen significantly. 2.13.4 Demography In 2002, the population of Hungary stood at 10,174,900 persons – less than the corresponding figure for 1992, which was 10,373,600 persons. TABLE 2.13.3 reveals that this trend is due to very low birth rates which have consistently lagged behind deaths since 1992. Unlike most other countries in this part of Europe migration patterns in Hungary have been positive during the last decade. However, the low birth rate has begun to impact on the Hungarian population structure which, like many other European countries, is ageing. 46 European Union Report Regular National Report on Housing Developments in European Countries 47
Section 2 Context Context Section 2 2.14 Ireland Table 2.14.1 Characteristics of the Housing Stock in Ireland, 2002 Table 2.14.2 Economic Trends in Ireland, 1995-2001 2.14.1 Policy Making and Implementation The key objective of housing policy in Ireland is: ‘To enable every household to have available an affordable dwelling of good quality suited to its needs, in a good environment and, as far as possible, at the tenure of their choice’. The general principle underpinning the policy approach to achieving this objective is that those who can afford to do so should provide for their own housing needs, either through home ownership or private rented accommodation and that those who cannot provide housing for themselves should have access to social housing. This objective and principle are actualised by government with the aid of a number of strategies. The primary strategy is to oversee and seek to maintain an efficient housing market by implementing a multistranded approach to address housing needs as these emerge. In addition, a range of detailed strategies have been devised which relate to various interventions and supports in the private and social housing domains to facilitate appropriate standards of housing provision and to promote social inclusion. These include the following: ■ facilitate access to home ownership by those who desire and can afford it through fiscal and other measures; ■ expand the availability of housing (in locations that reflect the provisions of the National Spatial Strategy) to meet demand, through the development and implementation of measures in the following areas: the legislative, regulatory and fiscal framework; securing the provision and efficient use of residential land; expansion of social housing and of housing for sale at below market value to lower income households; enhancing the role of the private rented sector by reforming legislation and promoting increased accommodation supply; addressing the special housing needs of older, disabled and homeless persons and Ireland’s Category % Permanently occupied dwellings by facilities No central heating 13.23 No piped water 0.35 Permanently occupied dwellings by number of rooms 1 room 1.41 2 rooms 3.71 3 rooms 7.39 4 rooms 11.14 5 rooms 22.59 6 rooms 20.52 7 or more rooms 27.56 Permanently occupied dwellings by tenure Owner-occupied 77.4 Local authority rented 6.9 Privately rented 11 Other 4.7 Permanently occupied dwellings by period of construction < 1919 13.5 1919-1940 8.93 1941-1960 11.3 1961-1970 8.9 1971-1980 16.9 1981-1990 13.32 > 1991 22.7 Permanently occupied dwellings by type Apartments 6 Detached houses 46 Semi-detached houses 27 Terraced houses 20 indigenous nomadic community – the Travellers – and supporting anti-poverty initiatives under the National Anti-Poverty Strategy and the Revitalising Areas by Planning and Investment Programme; ■ support housing advice services, through the local authority system, to enable those coming in contact with the local authorities to obtain advice on all of the available housing options, and ■ seek to ensure appropriate housing standards by: promoting sustainable, affordable, energy-efficient, architecturally appropriate new housing construction, which employs the best available construction techniques and is adaptable to changing needs over its lifetime; and promoting the Category 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 % % % % % % % Growth in GDP (at constant 1995 prices) (%) 9.9 8.1 11.1 8.6 11.3 10.1 6.2 Unemployed persons as a % of the labour force 12.3 11.7 7.5 9.9 5.6 4.3 3.9 Change in the consumer price index (%) Nav 2.2 1.2 2.1 2.5 5.3 4.0 conservation and improvement of the public and private housing stock, with particular emphasis on meeting the needs of low-income households and regenerating run-down local authority estates. The Irish housing stock is of very recent construction in comparison with most of the other countries examined in this review. Over 50% of dwellings were built since 1971 and 43% were built since 1980. As a result the standard of dwellings is comparatively high. At central government level, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible for the formulation of housing policy and for overseeing its implementation. The provision and management of social housing is primarily the responsibility of 88 local authorities (who act as housing authorities), although in recent years the voluntary and co-operative (not-for-profit) housing sector has become an increasingly important provider of social housing in Ireland. In 2002, only 0.35% of dwellings had no piped water, while 13.23% had no central heating. Connection to mains electricity is virtually universal across both urban and rural areas, but connection to the natural gas network is mainly confined to Dublin and some other urban areas in the southern half of the country. The average number of persons per room in Ireland was 0.55 in 2002, which constitutes a marked fall from the equivalent figures for 1981 and 1991: 0.74 and 0.64 respectively. 2.14.2 Stock 2.14.3 Economy In 2003, the Irish housing stock totalled 1,554,000 As revealed in TABLE 2.14.2, Ireland has seen dramatic dwellings, or 391 per 1,000 inhabitants, which is growth in GDP between 1995 and 2001. However, in below the average for the countries under examination. recent years the rate of growth in GDP has been more TABLE 2.14.1 reveals that a large majority of occupied modest; it reached 1.4% in 2003. Ireland’s General dwellings in Ireland (77.4%) were owner-occupied, Government Debt to GDP ratio was 32.3% at the end while 11% were rented from a private landlord. Unlike of 2002 and 32% at the end of 2003. A similar many other countries examined in this review the General Government Debt to GNP ratio of 32.2% is proportion of dwellings that are owner-occupied in forecast for 2004. Ireland has fallen in recent years while the percentage of privately rented dwellings has grown. In 1991, Table 2.14.2 also demonstrates that the unemployment 80.2% of dwellings in the country were owneroccupied, while 7% were privately rented. Local rate in Ireland has fallen dramatically since 1995 and that this low rate of unemployment has been authorities are the principal providers of social housing maintained in recent years. In the 12 months to midin Ireland. However, the percentage of dwellings 2003 the seasonally adjusted rate of unemployment provided by this source has fallen in recent years – was 4.9%, employment increased by 1.4%, while the from 9.7% in 1991 to 6.9% in 2002. Nevertheless, the labour force expanded by 2%. Building and ‘other’ category in this table also includes non-profit construction employment increased by 0.5% during agencies, which, as was mentioned above, have become the year to December 2003. increasingly important providers of social housing in recent years. 48 European Union Report Regular National Report on Housing Developments in European Countries 49
Page 1 and 2: REGULAR NATIONAL REPORT ON SYNTHESI
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Appendix 2 Questionnaire 4.4 Housin
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