Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has called on the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien to publish the Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 social and affordable housing progress reports.

The call was made as the Minister failed to publish the Quarter 1 report and has delayed the publication of the Quarter 2 report.

Deputy Ó Broin said:

“Since 2017, the Department of Housing have published a quarterly social housing pipeline report, detailing the delivery of social housing in each quarter. In 2022, this report started to include affordable housing output.

“This report is crucial in allowing the public to track the government’s progress in meeting its social and affordable housing targets.

“Last year, the government promised 9,000 new build social homes and 4,000 affordable homes.

“They fell short of the affordable housing target by 60%, delivering just 323 affordable purchase homes and 684 cost rental homes.

“For the third year in a row, they also missed their new build social housing targets, by 1,567 homes.

“This year Darragh O’Brien did not publish the Quarter 1 figures for social or affordable housing delivery. The Quarter 2 report should have been published during the summer but so far has not been released.

 “This year the government has promised 9,100 new build social homes and 5,500 affordable homes.

“The fact that the Q1 report was not released suggests that output was very low in that quarter. The delay in publishing the Q2 report does not inspire confidence that this years targets are going to be met.

“The Minister for Housing must publish both the Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 social and affordable housing progress reports as a matter of urgency so that the public can see what progress, if any, is being made on the delivery of much needed social and affordable homes.”