JUST 1,290 AFFORDABLE houses were provided in the first six months of this year, less than quarter of the full-year target of 5,500 for 2023.

The figures were provided in a second quarter report on housing targets from the Department of Housing released on Monday.

Sinn Féin has said it is difficult to see how the government can achieve its 2023 target based on progress so far.

The target, which was labelled “not good enough” by Social Democrats TD Róisín Shorthall last week and were described in an internal briefing, reported in the Sunday Business Post in February, as challenging

Last week junior minister Niall Collins said that the “record €4.5 billion in State housing investment” will ensure “supply momentum can be maintained and exceeded” to reach the target.

The majority of the 1,290 new affordable homes (1,268) have come from the Affordable Purchase Scheme, where local authority purchase a stake in the home, or the First Home scheme, where a bank or the state purchase a stake in the home of up to 30% which can be bought back.

Just 22 units have been made available through the cost rental scheme – through independent not-for-profit organisations, known as Approved Housing Bodies, only.

Sinn Féin spokesperson for Housing Eoin Ó’Broin said: “The figures are absolutely shocking.”

“On the basis of delivery by the midpoint of this year, it is hard to see how the Government will come anywhere close to meeting their targets for affordable purchase or affordable cost-rental homes this year,” the Dublin Mid-West TD added.

The briefing listed the high cost of construction and issues with water infrastructure would make the target challenging.

However, in its Housing for All Q2 progress report, the Department of Housing details that over 160,000 workers are currently employed in the industry, with over 2,200 additional workers soon to join the industry.

It also details that amendments made to public contracts hope to provide greater certainty with in response to continuing challenges in the construction market.

Ó’Broin said he believes the minister is “incapable” of meeting his targets.

The department claimed that the delivery social housing “traditionally” ramps up in the fourth quarter of the year.

Over 11,000 total housing units were completed in the fourth quarter of 2022, compare with 7,230 total units the quarter prior.

The minister “emphasised that the level of social and affordable housing will continue to grow and that, as was evident in recent years delivery across all streams is typically weighted towards the year-end” in a statement on the new figures.

O’Brien said: “We are making significant progress on all fronts and I believe we will see a significant increase in social housing throughout the second half of the year – reflecting this Government’s commitment to ensure that there is indeed housing for all.”