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Taoiseach denies housing commencement figures are going in the wrong direction

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has refuted suggestions that housing commencement figures are going in the wrong direction, whilst insisting that a fall off was always expected in the first six months of 2025 as a waiver on levies for developers ceased at the end of last year. Last month there were only 1,356 commencement notices lodged which is the lowest total recorded since 2020. Advertisement Department of Housing figures indicate that the total number of housing commencements to date for this year was 6,325 as compared to 34,581 by June of last year. Speaking during a visit to Ringaskiddy, Co Cork today, Mr Martin said that the fall off in housing commencement from January to June of this year had been anticipated given what he termed the 'extraordinary' number of commencements in 2024 and 2023. 'I don't think (saying that housing commencement figures are going in the wrong direction) is fair - you have to look at the context. "Last year was a record year of 33,000 (housing commencements) because of the waiving of the development levies." "That is the context in which one must look at this. We expected a fall off this year given the record number that came in last year." Advertisement "The year before was 15,000 - so last year 33,000. The first quarter of this year, completions are up - and that is important." Mr Martin stressed that that the Government had taken significant measures that will lay 'foundational steps' for growth into the future both in terms of commencements and completions. "There are thousands and thousands of houses now in the pipeline. "We do need to unblock some of those and that is why the national development plan is important in enabling the unblocking of some projects that are already about to happen or in the pipeline itself. Advertisement "We are focused really in terms of the initiatives we have taken to attract further private sector investment into the construction industry which is critical but also maintaining public sector investment. Mr Martin insisted the fall off in commencement figures was 'temporary' in nature. "When the development levy waiver ended we anticipated this fall off given the extraordinary number of commencements over the past two years." "Between 2023 and 2024 you are looking at close to 50,000 commencements. So if we can get those completed in addition to those already in the pipeline, I think you will have a significant number of houses completed." Advertisement "What will be key next year and in the years ahead will be getting more private sector construction - particularly in apartments - we need to really increase the level of apartment building." "There is plenty of planning permission out there. The planning framework will allow councils to zone much more land which is also going to be critical for house building going into the future." Mr Martin added that he was concerned about how Ireland increased housing delivery. "I am concerned about how we get from 33,000 to 50,000. That is my focus." "We have a lot of commencements. We have a lot of planning permissions granted. The issue is how we turn those into buildings."