Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All Deputies receive numerous representations in relation to people in housing difficulty, whether they are trying to rent, buy a home or secure social housing or are at risk of going into emergency accommodation. The difficulties we have are fundamentally supply difficulties. Until we get supply surpassing demand, we will continue to have people facing difficulties in the housing sector.

Rebuilding Ireland recognises that social housing output was outsourced to the private sector in the past. I am committed to changing that and giving back to local authorities and housing bodies the mandate to drive the delivery of social housing. That is why more than 7,000 new homes will be built next year. We will actually increase the social housing stock by more than that figure through acquisitions and long-term leasing. More than 7,000 social housing homes will be directly built by local authorities and housing bodies and a small portion will be built through the Part V process. That is more than in any other year this century, including the boom years. This shows what we have done under Rebuilding Ireland in terms of giving the authority and resources back to the local authorities.

Since 2016, they have been tooling up in that regard. We can have this record year next year because of the work that has been done. After 2020 and into 2021, it will be higher again.

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