Sinn Féin has accused Fine Gael of not understanding the causes of the housing crisis throughout Ireland.

The party's housing spokesperson, Deputy Ó Broin, was speaking following the publication of the 2017 social housing output report and new targets for 2018.

He also described the figures as "deeply depressing".

He said: "The Government is actually proposing to deliver less real social housing in 2018 than it did last year. In 2017, local authorities and approved housing bodies built and bought 6,297 homes according to the figures. The target for 2018 is just 5,869.

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"They also highlight, once again, the chronic over reliance on subsidised private leased properties to meet social housing need. In 2017 76% of new social housing tenancies were delivered through two, four or ten-year leases through the HAP, RAS and SCHEP programmes. In 2018 the over reliance on the private rentals sector will increase to 78%.

"Minister Murphy will no doubt try to spin these figures as progress. He will claim it represents a dramatic increase in social housing output. This is simply not the case. Social housing delivery is now going in the wrong direction."

(CD/LM)