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ONLY 158 NEW social homes were delivered in the first three months of this year.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien today released the social and affordable housing delivery statistics for Quarter 1 of 2024.
The Government has a target of building 9,300 new social housing units in 2024, but only 158 were delivered in the first quarter of 2024.
A Department of Housing spokesperson said the “significant part” of new social housing builds traditionally occurs in the second half of the year.
Last year, 83% of new-build deliveries occurred in the second half of the year, and 67% arrived in Q4 – the government missed its new-build housing target by 1,010 last year.
In all, 720 new social homes were delivered in Q1 of 2024 – 158 new-build homes, 330 acquisitions and 232 homes delivered through leasing programmes.
It comes as the government said that a “record” 32,121 new homes started construction in first five months of this year.
The figures shows that 52,000 new homes were started in the 12 months leading up to May 2024.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said it will surpass the targets for this year for social and affordable housing as set out in the Housing For All plan.
The minister pledged that over 6,000 affordable homes will be delivered by the end of year.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “We are confident to say that we will exceed our output targets for 2024 and this indeed will be the third year in a row that we have exceeded the target.
“This is good progress, but it also provides a good platform from which we can further scale up our delivery to meet future demand.”
O’Brien also said that legislation brought in to prevent the bulk buying of homes by investment funds has led to 60,000 homes being protected for owner-occupier or single purchaser.
“What we’ve seen in a couple of incidents is legacy issues prior to the changing of that legislation,” he added.
“Unquestionably we have levelled the playing pitch for first time buyers, that’s why we are seeing those numbers increase substantially.
“We still need investment in the areas where we want it, particularly apartment developments.”
With government stating that supply is the answer, The Journal asked the Taoiseach today about when he thinks house prices will begin to fall back.
Harris said the government acknowledges that there is a “real affordability challenge for many people”, which is why by “unprecedented level of interventions” are being rolled out.
“When will we see things begin to level out a bit is always hard to predict precisely, but I do think based on what we see from ESRI reports, Housing Commission [reports], our own data and intelligence, I think we have quite a way to go,” said the Taoiseach, who added that there is “pent up demand” for houses.
The latest Construction Status Report shows that 9,179 social homes were on site at the end of March, with an additional 15,848 homes at design and tender stage.
In Quarter 1 of 2024, 121 new construction schemes, equating to 2,595 homes, were added to the housing pipeline.
In all last year, 11,939 social houses were delivered, through a mix of new-builds (8,110), acquisitions (1,830), and leasing (1,999).
However, this was short of the target of 13,130 social houses to be delivered through these channels.
O’Brien said it is “clear to see that record investment under Housing for All is bearing fruit in a robust delivery pipeline and a strong momentum is growing”.
However, Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said O’Brien is “working overtime to make a bad situation look positive”.
“When you pull away the spin and misdirection, the facts speak for themselves,” said Ó Broin.
“Buried in the fine print of today’s report, we can see that the government is, as usual, way behind these targets.
“As long as this government is in power, there will be no real progress on housing.”
Labour also criticised the figures and leader Ivana Bacik said it appears that the Government has “given up on addressing the root causes of the housing crisis”.
“This Government is clearly going to fail abjectly in delivering on its housing commitments,” said Bacik.
“The delivery of new homes remains far too slow. Indeed, the Housing Commission estimates a housing deficit ranging from 212,500 to 256,000 homes as it stands.”
That report from the Government-appointed Housing Commission skewered Government policy and said that only a “radical strategic reset of housing policy will work” to address chronic issues in Ireland.
Bacik said the housing crisis “has been created by years of failure by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to implement policies that would see increased supply of new homes” and that the crisis they created “is being allowed to spiral”.
Elsewhere, Social Democrats housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan said the 158 new-build social homes delivered is a “drop in the ocean of what is needed and clearly not on track to meet the 2024 target of 9,300 homes”.
“These figures provide further evidence that this Government, its rotating cast of Taoisigh and its Minister for Housing are incapable of delivering homes at the scale that is needed,” he added.
“The glacial pace of social and affordable housing delivery is locking a generation out of housing,” said O’Callaghan.
“A general election, a new Government and a new housing plan is now the only way of turning the tide on this crisis.”
With reporting by Christina Finn
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Sure they’ll just buy them out from under the nose of first time buyers with the 7 billion housing budget and push prices higher!
On of the people that work with me was lucky enough to get a socially affordable home two years ago in a new limerick estate after 12 years on a list. When I call to help out with odd jobs it’s like visiting a foreign country as 2/3 are recently arrived and housed within 18 months of a successful application for asylum.
The rent is also means tested so my mortgage is actually cheaper.
Next election people should ask every candidate that calls to their door one simple question.
Please name 5 things you or your party have actually done for this community. Then film the answers.
What are people on about a housing crisis we’ve 158 units built there and plenty of fields for tents for people to get they’re bearings when they arrive. There’s plenty of extra tax fund from this budget i hear so more modular homes. Irish can look for a loan for an extension to house they’re families at granny and grandads house, that’s anyone fortunate enough to have parents who are lucky to own one. The rest can save up 5000 and head for Australia or USA cos they don’t allow you in otherwise,have a job lined up and no criminal record,opposite here though oddly unfortunately.
@Paddy C: you’re a tad off on the US there Paddy
I suppose it’s fair to say nothing has changed and nothing will ever change when FFG in charge.
I assume that number excludes the homes built for Ukrainians et al
Yawn. News ceases to become news (as in what is new) when one can foresee the future.
I propose that William Slevin gets deported. His tent or house will then become available to help ease the accommodation crisis.
Any seconders?
A Govt that lost the people & the moral authority to govern a long time ago. Listening to Harris speaking every day shows that he has no interest or concerns for the ordinary working Irish taxpayer, spends his days pandering to those arriving in record numbers every week, people are sick of it.
Too many, we need rental houses for us capitalists :)
@John D Doe: No rental houses for capitalists means less houses for people who want to rent! Landlords are needed despite being vilified all the time……. I’d choose to have more small time landlords over REITs anyday because the REITs profits go abroad and pay as little tax as possible!
Cooking The Books
My daughter has 3 young children with autism & asthma her husband took his own life 5yrs ago. She’s been on the housing list for 11yrs now with she currently lives in a private rented house paying €1500 a month. The house is damp and has black mould everywhere it’s so bad that she has to share her room with all 3 kids because the kids bedrooms are so bad. her kitchen and bathroom are a total health hazard with mould, she can’t ask the landlord to fix it because the people that were in it before her were given notice to quit because he was selling up, a for sale went up for the house for 3mths then went down and house was rented out then to her she knows he will do the same if she complains, there are 19 houses empty in our town some have been empty 3yrs there is no sense to it
have your say