The Government missing its target for social homes was “entirely predictable”, Sinn Féin has said. 

Last year, the State had a target of 9,300 new build social homes; however, only 7,871 were built. 

In response, Housing Minister James Browne vowed to bring a “renewed urgency” to delivering social homes. 

“I will be meeting with the chief executives of all 31 local authorities to discuss their targets and plans to bring forward projects on their own land,” he said. 

“Reaching our overall annual targets is dependent on each local authority meeting their target and we cannot afford for any individual local authority to fall behind.” 

On Newstalk Breakfast, Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said he was not surprised the target had not been met. 

“The new build target was 15% behind what was promised,” he said. 

“But also, fewer social homes were built last year than the year before. 

“If you look at the affordable homes, 2,000 affordable purchase homes were meant to be delivered for working people but only 779 [were]. 

“That’s a 61% shortfall; on the affordable rentals, the shortfall was about 60%.” 

Deputy Ó Broin said that “red tape” is stifling builders and local authorities in their efforts to meet the Government’s targets. 

“Until that is fixed, alongside increasing the levels of investments and targets, we’re not going to have the requisite levels of supply,” he said. 

“That’s impacting on homelessness, it’s impacting on council waiting lists and it’s impacting on the price of rents and house prices for working people who want to rent or buy affordably.” 

Sinn Fein’s Eoin Ó Broin. Picture by: PA Wire/PA Images. 

Deputy Ó Broin added that the Government’s affordable housing targets were “very, very low to begin with”. 

“If you look at the figures published by the Department yesterday, that actually shows that the only people who didn’t deliver their portion of the 33,000 new build homes last year was the State,” he said. 

“The private sector met their targets; it was the social and affordable rental and affordable purchase homes [that weren’t built].” 

Housing construction site. Picture by: PA Archive/PA Images

He added that the Government should do more to support small firms in the construction sector. 

“We now need to accept that in fact getting to the targets that Government has set for themselves, in the first instance, is a matter for fixing the problems in delivery of social and affordable homes,” he said. 

“That’s about getting rid of red tape and bureaucracy, increasing investment. 

“Then in terms of the private sector side, we do desperately need to increase investment and the delivery of private homes. 

“But the big difference between Sinn Féin and others, we want to see small and medium sized developers, the length and breadth of the country, doubling their output for homes for working people to buy at unmoderated prices.” 

Last year, house building fell; 30,330 new homes were built in 2024, while 32,525 were completed the previous year. 

Main image: Taoiseach Micheál Martin on a building site. Picture by: Government Information Service.