The number of people working in the construction sector in Ireland has increased, with 106,000 people now employed.

Minister for Housing and Planning, Paudie Coffey, made the submission following the publication of the latest CSO Residential Property Price index.

The aim of the strategy is to help return the sector to a sustainable size and help get unemployed construction workers back to work. The central aim is to provide homes by tripling housing output by 2020 and adding up to 60,000 jobs to the construction sector over the same period.

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Minister Coffey said: "The construction sector is going to play an important role in our continued economic recovery; there are still 70,000 former construction workers on the live register and a key part of reducing this number is the recently announced construction 2020 strategy which I have responsibility for. We must look to encourage an increase in the number of houses being built as there is a housing need; in particular in the Dublin Region."

(CD/JP)