Figures published today for the total number of social and affordable homes delivered last year confirm that the State has failed to turn a corner on the housing crisis, according to Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne.
Deputy Hearne, who is the party’s housing spokesperson, said:
“The government may attempt to dress up its 2024 figures for social and affordable homes as some sort of success, but yet again we see targets being missed by a considerable distance.
“Despite a target of 12,930 social and affordable homes being set for last year, there was a 15 per cent shortfall in new builds.
“The figures for direct local authority delivered affordable housing are particularly shocking, with 15 councils seeing no new builds, including Galway city, and Meath and Dublin city just recording a paltry one and 12 homes respectively.
“In 19 local authority areas, including Cork city and Galway city, there were zero cost rental builds.
“This pathetic performance is an absolute disaster for the locked-out generation of nurses, teachers and other average income workers trying to find homes so they can start living independent lives.
“This and successive governments led by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have repeatedly failed to treat the housing crisis as the emergency that it is.
“The government continues to ignore solutions that could significantly increase direct delivery of affordable homes. This includes using our budget surplus to build housing, as well as sourcing private financing through a State-run Homes for Ireland Savings Account – an innovative scheme proposed by the Social Democrats last week.
“Today’s social housing figures make a mockery of the government’s claims that it is doing everything it can to solve this worsening crisis.”
April 23, 2025