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THE GOVERNMENT HAD built less than half of its planned social housing for 2018 by the end of September, new figures show.
The Rebuilding Ireland Q3 social housing building report shows that a total of 2,369 social housing units had been built across the country by the end of September.
This figure included 1,764 new builds and 605 local authority voids being brought back into use.
This amounts to less than half (48%) of the yearly target. The government set a target of 4,969 new social homes to be built by the end of the year.
In a statement released with the figures, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said that “good progress” was being made across social housing delivery streams.
“Our targets are ambitious for 2018 and we are working hard to achieve those targets,” he said.
Murphy said that as with previous years, delivery of actual units “is weighted towards year end”.
“Delivery is being carefully monitored at Local Authority level and all stakeholders are mobilised to drive the earliest completions possible,” he said.
Commenting on the figures, Sinn Fein housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin criticised the government and said that the number of completions was far behind target.
O Broin said that the Department had only reached 35% of its target for new builds. He said that the 605 voids should not be completed as they are not new units added to the housing stock.
“The Department of Housing must stop including voids in the quarterly output report as they are not new additions to the social housing stock. The Department included 605 voids in its output figures today,” he said.
Labour housing spokesperson Jan O’Sullivan also criticised the government, saying that the Housing Minister needed to let the public know why less than half of the proposed new builds had been delivered.
“Given the scale of the crisis in front of us now, this really isn’t acceptable,” he said.
Targets
The figures showed that the government was on the way to meeting its targets for Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme tenancies by the end of the year.
Both HAP and RAS are used by government as forms of social housing delivered in conjunction with landlords in the private rental sector.
There were 14,275 such tenancies created in the first nine months of the year.
As well as this, Murphy stated that housing production had been ramped up over the past year.
He pointed towards 2,652 units in the final pre-construction stage and about to go on-site – an increase of 68% on the previous quarter.
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Helen mc enree & a very sensible positive idea in the same sentence? Is it April 1sr already?
@Mary Linton: You would think if a pilot kept on crashing planes, they’d be sacked, but the same ineptitude is fine in politics, apparently!
@Mary Linton: I know right? I thought DOGE were cutting all this.
@Louis Jacob: Apologies, lost me there….. isn’t DOGE an American financial accountability department?
@Mary Linton: you’re a bore
Seems reasonable.
@Luas Vuitton – Penneys Drag Queen: you obviously don’t havw school going children . These children need massive supports some are non verbal some very verbal so putting in a student. Teacher is like letting a trainee electrician loose to rewire a hole house . No experience .
@Karen Marten: if alternative is no teacher, then put the kids first. Cop on.
@Luas Vuitton – Penneys Drag Queen: you have no cop on how would you .
@Karen Marten: are u a parent. I doubt it you know nothing.
@Karen Marten: I don’t think theyre asking the trainee teachers to run the school either. The point is to train teachers withing the special school setting. Can’t see any issue with this.
@Mindful Muinteoir: When I taught deaf and special needs children trainee teachers would spend time in the classroom with us. This showed them how we sometimes have to adapt our teaching to include all children equally. It also gave them an insight into what being a SEN teacher requires should they wish to go down that path.
@Luas Vuitton – Penneys Drag Queen: So you don’t believe that children with special needs deserve to have teachers who are specifically trained to teach these children and to meet their needs? Shameful!!
@Mindful Muinteoir: Wow, how about they get primary school teachers to start lecturing in third level institutions? And don’t tell me that’s not the same thing, it is.
@Ann Reddin: Steady up. It’s placement as part of their studies and they would be supervised by qualified teachers at all times. Experience is the best way to learn anything. This is a positive step
Anything Master minded by this silly woman, is bound to be a disaster!
@Brian Hunt: Play the ball Brian.
It’s a great idea.
They’re already doing it so makes sense.
Any measure that will address the early intervention for those with Special Needs in schools must be welcomed
Great idea, but unions won’t allow it as they’ll put teachers first as usual.
@Allo Allo: unfair.
@Allo Allo: you obviously did’nt bother to read the article. The INTO came up with this idea first, you gobdaw.
‘Something something… teachers bad’ and so on
@Allo Allo: how is it a great idea these trainee teachers can barely teach mainstream kids my child is in 6th class a crucial year a a newly grad teacher was put to them be more suited with junior or senior infants. So how is it a good idea to do the same with special need kids. No no plenty of years of experience is needed for that type of teaching
And where are these people being forced into these positions going to live?
Pay them properly so they decide to stay in Ireland and after turning the masters in education into a cash cow students spend €10000 to qualify
I agree with this. I only said something similar a few weeks ago. Main stream teachers just think 1 way and that’s all kids are the same when that’s not the case. I’ve seen it so many times and it’s annoying.
@darren guthrie: absolute nonsense statement
have your say