'Red tape' is the main reason for an underspend of over €1 billion in the Department of Housing's budget for social and affordable homes in the past three years.
That is according to Sinn Féin's Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin, who obtained the figures in response to a parliamentary query.
The timeframe also takes in a period of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Ó Broin told The Pat Kenny Show COVID was a factor, particularly in 2020, but not the only one.
"Even in 2020 when I was talking to approved housing bodies and local authority housing managers, they were expressing real concern at that point that - in addition and above COVID - the level of bureaucracy and red tape imposed by the Department of Housing on our local authorities and approved housing bodies, meant that they were going to miss their targets anyway," he said.
"In fact last year's underspend was the largest of the three years, and there were no restrictions on construction sites.
"We also have to remember that the construction sites restrictions in 2020 were less onerous on social housing than they were on private housing.
"Last year the private sector not only met the targets, but exceeded them - where the Department lost a significant number of social and affordable homes".
'4,000 homes weren't delivered'
Deputy Ó Broin claims at least 4,000 social and affordable homes could have been built.
"The bottom line on this is the €1 billion in housing programmes meant that at least - conservatively - 4,000 social and affordable homes that should have been delivered weren't delivered," he said.
"Whatever the number, those are homes that people today in emergency accommodation could have been living in.
"There's 8,000 households in emergency accomodation; 4,000 homes could have been, should have been delivered".
'Sinn Féin narrative'
Fine Gael Senator Barry Ward said an increase in costs and a lack of availability of building supplies were also factors.
He denied there was any 'unwillingness to build' these houses.
"This is all part of a Sinn Féin narrative that suggests that there's an unwillingness to build," he said.
"[This] is absolutely false, and it lacks any credibility because he talks about the Government needing to overspend rather than underspend.
"It's not the case that the Government is underspending - the Government cannot spend the money, but all of that money is still there.
"All that money is there for projects now, and anyone who wants to build a house will be facilitated by the State".
Senator Ward added: "None of this is any comfort to anybody who's waiting on a social housing list, or waiting for a house to be delivered.
"Nobody is happy about the delay".
