O'Brien believes Government can still hit social housing targets just two weeks from year's end

Darragh O'Brien said the Government's target is to have more than 11,500 new social homes, including acquisitions and leasing, for 2023.  Picture: PA

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has said he believes the Government will hit its social housing targets this year, despite less than half being delivered in the first nine months of 2023.

Mr O’Brien said there are two weeks left until the end of the year and that it has been a “very strong year” for housing delivery. He also said there is a "strong pipeline" for next year.

According to the Department of Housing, in the first nine months of 2023 there were 4,815 social homes delivered.

However, only 2,642 of these are new builds, with the remainder being through acquisitions and leasing.

This compares to the target within the Government’s Housing for All plan of 9,100 new-build social homes in 2023.

Mr O’Brien said the Government's target is to have more than 11,500 new social homes, including acquisitions and leasing, for 2023.

I can tell you here that I predict that we will attain that target and that will be through a mix, the vast majority are new builds. 

“There will be acquisitions, some acquisitions, like the tenant in-situ scheme," said Mr O’Brien.

Asked if the Government is relying too heavily on acquisitions and leasing for social homes, Mr O’Brien said: “Absolutely not.”

On affordable homes, data from the Department of Housing shows 159 affordable homes have been availed of by people through the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme.

On cost-rental homes, there have been just 56 houses built in the first nine months of the year by approved housing bodies. An additional 47 homes can also be included, through the Cost Rental Tenant in-situ scheme.

The Land Development Agency or local authorities are yet to deliver any cost-rental homes this year.

Earlier this week, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he is not able to guarantee that the Government will hit its social housing targets.

On our housing targets, I can absolutely guarantee that we will meet the overall housing targets.  

"In fact, we’ll exceed it. We'll build more than 30,000 new homes this year and that's the highest in well over a decade,” Mr Varadkar said.

“What I can't say for certain is whether we'll meet every sub-target within that; social affordable, private, cost rental, etc. I can't guarantee that.”