A new report showing the cost of poor housing in Northern Ireland has been published.

The report, produced by the Housing Executive's Research Unit along with the BRE Trust, is based on data from the 2009 Northern Ireland House Condition Survey and makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the links between good health and good housing, confirming the view that poor health can be alleviated by providing good-quality housing for low-income households.

The obvious connection between poor housing and ill health was a key factor that led to the public health legislation of the nineteenth century. Since then there have been enormous improvements in relation to the quality of the water supply and the provision of sanitation. This success helped to make the case for state intervention in the provision, maintenance and improvement of housing. Notwithstanding the progress that has been made, there is still evidence of a clear association between good housing and good health. However, a direct causal link has been more difficult to establish.

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This report is therefore important for two reasons: not only does it provide clear evidence that undertaking carefully targeted improvements to homes can directly lead to significant improvements in health, it also gives an insight into the very significant savings to the public purse that can result from this investment in housing.

The research and analysis underpinning the report found that even simple, low-cost safety improvements, such as handrails on dangerous stairs and steps, hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and better home security are effective in making a difference to people’s health. Remedial works to deal with excess cold and dampness in the housing stock, although more expensive, are also effective, particularly when targeting certain types of properties with basic packages of work.

(CD/MH)