Sinn Féin has criticised the current government's "pre-election lies" concerning housing within the country.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has said that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's lies have "now been exposed" after Central Statistics Office (CSO) home completion data released this week, showing 30,000 new homes were built last year, "proved that the government parties misled the electorate in the run-up to November’s General Election".

The Dublin Mid-West TD said: "Throughout last year, particularly during the election campaign, the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the then Minister for Housing all said that up to 40,000 new homes would be built in 2024.

-- Advertisement --

"The government knew damn well that this claim was neither credible nor true, but they repeated this misinformation time and time again regardless.

"In response, the government is trying to deflect from their lies by repeating Darragh O’Brien's claim that 60,000 new homes started on site last year. This is another barefaced lie.

"While 60,000 commencement notices were submitted to Local Authorities in 2024, many of these homes have not actually started on site."

Deputy Ó Broin continued: "Everyone knows that the development levy and water connection waiver deadlines in April and September artificially skewed the figures as developers submitted extra notices to avail of the waiver.

"The new Minister for Housing, James Browne, has a decision to make on whether he continues with the same dishonest style of his predecessor or if he will bring some level of honesty to the housing debate.

"Minister Browne needs to come clean on the issue of commencement notices and admit that the figures have been artificially inflated."

Teachta Ó Broin also called for the full social and affordable housing figures for last year to be published as "a matter of urgency" so that the public can see the extent to which the government missed their own public housing targets in 2024.