Government’s badly missed social and afforadble housing targets making housing crisis worse – Eoin Ó Broin TD
23 April 2025
Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has accused the government of “making the housing crisis worse”. His comments were made as the Department of Housing revealed that the government significantly missed crucial social and affordable housing targets in 2024.
Teachta Ó Broin said:
“Today the Department of Housing have published the final social and affordable housing figures for 2024. The press release issued by Minister for Housing, James Browne, is deliberately misleading. It is designed to conceal the extent to which government missed crucial social and affordable housing targets last year.
“The government promised to deliver 9,300 new build social homes in 2024. They delivered just 7,871, 15% below their target. Significantly, fewer new build social homes were delivered in 2024 than in 2023.
“The government also promised to deilver 2,000 affordable purchase homes through Local Authorities. Today’s report confirms that just 799 were delivered – a shocking 61% below target.
“There were also to be 2,400 cost rental homes delivered, but even here government fell shy by 16% – delivering just 1,221.
“Even the government’s controversial shared equity loan First Home Scheme missed its target by 10%, with just 1,797 homes purchased from the private market from a target of 2,000.
“Once again, the government has failed miserably to deliver on their key social and affordable housing targets. Targets that were too low to begin with. The consequence of this failure is making the housing crisis worse.
“The only way to reduce homelessness, cut social housing waiting lists and ensure working people have access to affordable homes, is through the delivery of large volumes of new build social, affordable purchase and affordable rental homes.
“Embarrassed by their own failure, the government has once again resorted to deliberately misleading the press and public by presenting figures which are simply untrue.
“Sinn Féin has set out again and again what needs to be done to increase and accelerate the delivery of social and affordable homes. Unfortunately, government has made it clear it is not interested in changing policy.”
