DUBLIN, Ireland: The Irish government has only met 30 percent of its new-build social homes target in the first nine months of the year, according to Department of Housing figures.

Data measuring the government's social and affordable housing delivery for Q3 was published on December 22.

It showed that from July to September, 1,605 new social homes were delivered, comprising 1,330 new-builds, 120 acquisitions, and 155 through leasing programmes.

It meant that only 3,143 new-build social homes were built this year, out of 10,000.

So far this year, 461 social homes were acquired, of a total of 200 and 425 of a target of 1,540 through leasing programmes.

Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said the figures showed the government would miss their social and affordable housing targets in 2025, while Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne accused the government of misleading the public with figures.

The Department of Housing said the number of new-build social homes was 41 percent higher in the third quarter of this year than in the same quarter in 2024 (946), and the total was over 48 percent higher than in the same period in 2024 (2,120).

Minister for Housing James Browne said the housing delivery figures were "very encouraging" but said "more must be done".

The speaker said the latest figures were very encouraging, especially for new social housing builds. They said the data showed strong momentum, with faster growth and a solid pipeline of projects, which would allow more families to access secure, high-quality homes.

They added that the progress reflected the commitment of local authorities, approved housing bodies, and the Government to meeting community housing needs.

However, they acknowledged that more needed to be done and said that, under the new Housing Action Plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, delivery of new social homes would be significantly increased to an average of 12,000 per year up to 2030.

Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin said that in the first nine months of the year, 3,143 new social homes had been delivered, which was only 31 percent of the annual target of 10,000.

He said that during the same period, 925 cost-rental homes and 563 affordable purchase homes had been completed by councils, approved housing bodies, and the Land Development Agency, amounting to 39 percent of the cost-rental target of 2,350 homes and 24 percent of the affordable purchase target of 2,100 homes.

He said the figures showed that the Minister for Housing, James Browne, was failing in his role and added that, at the end of his first year in office, the minister was missing social and affordable housing targets, just as his predecessor had done.

Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne said, "During the first nine months of 2025, 3,134 new-build social homes were provided by the State – this figure is nowhere near the 10,000 direct-build social homes that were promised by the end of the year.

"Quarter 3's affordable housing delivery breaks down as 794 units as part of the First Home Scheme, 760 as a result of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, 205 were affordable purchase homes delivered by Local Authorities, and 302 under the Cost Rental Scheme," he added.