Reports says housing boom widened social inequalities

Ireland's housing boom not only contributed to the financial crisis currently facing the country, but also widened inequalities in housing and in wealth, according to the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice.

In a report out today, the centre says problems relating to affordability and access to housing increased during the boom, despite the fact that record numbers of houses were being built.

It says the number of people on waiting lists for social housing doubled over the course of the boom, with house prices increasing by more than 300% between 1994 and 2007.

Dr Michael Punch from UCD's School of Sociology, who is one of the authors of the report, says the findings highlight the need for a major rethink of housing policy as the process of boom-and-bust has generated serious economic, social and environmental problems.