Minister to admit housing deadline won’t be met

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy will today concede that a crucial deadline to end the use of emergency accommodation for homeless families by the end of this month — made by his predecessor — will not be met.

The confirmation comes as economic think-tank the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) suggests the housing supply crisis may be worse than it seems, by probing the veracity of construction figures.

Mr Murphy, who is reviewing the Government’s housing programme, will tell a Focus Ireland meeting in Dublin that 650 families were still in B&Bs and hotels at the end of May.