Official figures show that just over 20,000 new houses and apartments were completed in the first three months of this year. The figures, from the Department of Environment, are based on the number of new ESB connections.
They represent an 8.6% drop compared with the 21,894 homes recorded in the first quarter of 2006. But Housing and Urban Renewal Minister Noel Ahern said direct comparisons could not be made against the first half of last year as some of those dwellings had been built in 2005 but not connected by the ESB because of a backlog.
A record 93,419 homes were built last year, but most commentators expect a lower figure this year.
