The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, has welcomed what he called “the positive signs that strong momentum in housebuilding is continuing” following the latest home completions figures for Donegal published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The publication showed that 499 new homes were completed in Donegal during the first nine months of this year.
This is an increase of 8.2 % on the same period of 2022 (461 units), and the highest number of completions recorded in Donegal for the first three-quarters of any year since the CSO data series began in 2011.
Nationally, a record 22,443 homes have been completed in the first nine months of 2023 so far – an 8.9 % increase on the same period in 2022.
Minister O’Brien said “Supply is central to dealing with all the key challenges in housing. All the key indicators are trending upwards. Nationally, the number of planning permissions for the first nine months of this year were up. In the same period, the number of new build homes commenced was almost 24,000 homes – a 14.3% increase on the same period last year.
“And now, the latest CSO figures on completions show that in both Donegal and countrywide, supply is increasing and that we are going in the right direction.
“Our housing target for 2023 is 29,000 new homes and this news strongly signals that we will meet this target – if not exceed it.
“All of this momentum is welcome but we are not complacent. I have always said that there is no one single magic bullet to solve the housing crisis but rather a variety of complementary initiatives and reforms. Whether it’s planning reforms, new supports for prospective home buyers, cost rental and other initiatives for tenants or incentives to encourage more construction, this Government is leaving no stone unturned to deliver on our targets under Housing for All.”
