The Government still lacks a “sense of urgency” when it comes to housing, the Social Democrats have claimed. 

Yesterday, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien delivered an update on the Government’s Housing for All programme in which he revealed that 12,000 homes were built in the first three months of this year. 

Quarterly #HousingforAll update. Building started on almost 12,000 new homes in the first three months 2024, up 63% on the same period last year.
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— MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) April 24, 2024

Last year, 32,695 new homes were completed in Ireland and Taoiseach Simon Harris said he expected around 40,000 will be delivered in 2024. 

It is a figure, the Social Democrats believe, that is still too low. 

“The issue here is that for a number of years… we’ve needed at least 50,000 new build homes a year,” housing spokesperson Cian O'Callaghan said. 

“Taoiseach Simon Harris has admitted this himself - and yet the Government are congratulating themselves for bringing in a number of homes below that. 

“And of course, the 40,000 new homes haven’t been delivered yet, they’re just projecting that they will. 

“But even if they are, that’s at least 10,000 homes short of what is needed each and every year.” 

A housing development under construction, Carrigaline, County Cork. Image: David Creedon / Alamy Stock Photo

Revised Government targets will be announced in the autumn and Mr Harris said 250,000 new homes by 2030 will be the "ballpark figure" set out by officials. 

Deputy O'Callaghan said overall figures remain “far too low” and the Government needs to be more ambitious.

“It doesn’t really give the sense of urgency that I think the country expects from them on this,” he said. 

Deputy O'Callaghan said there are a number of reforms that would help the construction sector increase supply. 

“What’s happened since this Government has taken office is that the numbers of people in construction, apprentices, people in key trades like brick and stone laying, plastering, carpentry and joinery, painting and decorating have actually gone down,” he said. 

“They’re at a very low level compared to 2006. 

“There’s things that they could do now to encourage more people into construction apprentices but one thing, for example, is to make sure the minimum wage actually applies to people entering that in their first couple of years. 

“Secondly, we could do what’s done in a lot of other countries where… we could ensure that a percentage of the workforce of State contracts must be in training - that would ensure a continuous flow of apprentices coming through the sector.”

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Main image: Simon Harris. Image: PA Images / Alamy