SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS in the Department of Housing have said that they are “confident” that they will be able to meet their overall housing targets this year.

The Government exceeded the overall housing target last year, building 29,851 houses compared to the target of 24,600.

However, the Government failed to hit their targets for social and affordable housing last year.

Figures released yesterday show that 7,433 new build social homes were completed last year, below the initial target of 9,000 and also below the revised target of 8,000.

There were also only 1,757 affordable and cost-rental houses delivered in 2022, which is below the target of 4,100.

Appearing before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Housing Feargal Ó Coigligh said that the Department was confident they would be able to match the overall delivery in 2023.

“I think we’d be confident that we would match the figures this year as last year,” Ó Coigligh said.

This means that the Government expect to exceed the 2023 housing target, which is 29,000 new build homes.

He added that, despite a slowdown in new planning permissions in recent months, there is an “existing bank of permissions that can be activated” in the coming year.

Ánne Stapleton, Assistant Secretary at the Department, also told the committee that she expected previously missed targets to be delivered over the course of the plan.

This would mean that the Department expects to deliver additional social and affordable homes up to 2030, due to the shortfall that was seen last year.

Publication criticism

The timing of the publication of the social and affordable housing delivery figures has also been criticised by some opposition TDs, with questions raised about the figures being released shortly after the verdict of the Regency murder trial was announced.

Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch was found not guilty of murder at 3.30pm yesterday afternoon, while the Department of Housing released the updated figures at 4.07pm, alongside a press release to media outlets.

Social Democrats housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan said that it was “deeply cynical” and that the Government had previously indicated that the figures would be available from early March.

“I think it’s highly cynical that they released them. I think there’s no question that the notes were held back and held back for a considerable amount of time,” O’Callaghan said.

In a statement this evening, the Department of Housing said that the figures had been “collated and finalised” over recent weeks.

“They [social housing figures] have been published ahead of a housing committee meeting which officials are attending today and which has been scheduled for quite some time,” a spokesperson said.

“The Department of Housing were not influenced in any way by the court case nor its outcome, it’s wholly inaccurate to suggest otherwise.”