Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Some 14,500 were new build homes occupied for the first time. These figures do not include over 2,000 new student bed spaces also completed last year. Permission to build 24,531 new homes was granted in the 12 months up to March 2018, up almost 40% on the figure for the previous 12 months. In the first quarter of 2018 alone planning permission was granted for 8,500 new homes, an increase of more than 81% overall. There was an increase of 178% in the number of planning permissions for high density apartments, which is exactly what we need in cities to deal with housing demand and respond to the affordability challenge many first-time buyers, in particular, face. It is due substantially to the new fast-track planning process which the Government introduced to make sure we could make the right planning decisions in a shorter timeframe to get the market moving.

The CSO's report shows that in the first quarter of 2018 there were 3,562 new dwellings built, an increase of 27% compared to the same period last year. The number of commencement notices is up by 23%, with notices for 18,500 new homes nationwide in the 12 months to April 2018. As an indicator of multi-unit developments, there were 9,355 housing guarantee registrations recorded nationally in the 12 months to April 2018, up 35% on the figure for last year. On linked construction which is also an indicator, 83,000 people were employed in the construction industry in the first quarter of 2017, up 14% on the figure two years earlier. We are seeing more people becoming involved in building, the granting of planning permission for more homes and more high-density complexes and more social housing being delivered. Yes, it is not fast enough for many people who want to buy homes or are on housing lists, but it is accelerating all the time and the plan is working. It will take time to take full effect.

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