Social homes delivery target for 2024 missed by almost 20% – The Irish Times

Key Findings

Ireland's Department of Housing released a report revealing a significant shortfall in its 2024 social housing targets. The country delivered 10,596 social homes, nearly 20% less than the 12,930 target.

Shortfalls Across Categories

• New builds fell short by 1,429 units (7,871 delivered vs. 9,300 target).
• Leasing also significantly underperformed, with 1,223 homes delivered compared to a target of 2,130.
• Only the acquisition category met its target (1,501 vs. 1,500 target), but still lower than 2023's figures.

Minister for Housing, James Browne, acknowledged the shortfall but attributed some of it to a general downturn in construction. He announced plans for quarterly performance reports to monitor local authorities' progress and meetings with their chief executives to accelerate delivery.

Opposition Criticism

Opposition parties strongly criticized the results. Sinn Féin highlighted the substantial miss on overall public sector targets (3,000 units short). Social Democrats called the government's performance a failure, highlighting the pathetic affordable housing figures and the lack of delivery in some local authorities. Labour's spokesperson echoed concerns about the slow pace of social housing delivery.

Affordable Housing

While 7,126 affordable homes were delivered, exceeding the 6,400 target, Sinn Féin questioned the inclusion of approvals (not yet completed) in the figures. This casts doubt on the true extent of the success in affordable housing delivery.