Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I recall having this debate on how we count the numbers during the previous Government when Eoghan Murphy was the Minister with responsibility for housing. At that point, the CSO updated its methodology. The methodology the office uses, which is published on its website, was welcomed across the board at the time, including by Deputy Ó Broin, for example, and others. I am a little bit disappointed, now that the figures are showing we are exceeding our targets, some people want to change the way we count them again. The methodology was welcomed by the Opposition at the time, particularly by Deputy Ó Broin. The CSO has issued a statement on this. I understand it states that the private firm, Construction Information Services, to which the Deputy referred, is reporting 6,000 fewer new builds than the CSO official data. Essentially, what the CSO is saying is that the system the private company is using is subject to under-coverage as it does not capture all new dwellings, particularly one-off dwellings, of which there are 6,000 to 8,000 every year. The CSO is an independent body. It is not subject to political influence and it does not spin the numbers. I think we should respect its work.

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