The Irish Home Builders Association has said that the case for the return to home building is overwhelming and the workplace has proven to be safe during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The association is holding its housebuilding summit "Action on housing: can we deliver affordable homes for all in the decade ahead?" today.
Today's summit will look at the impact of Covid-19 on the home building sector, challenges in the supply and affordability of housing in Ireland.
It will also examine the consequences of a continued shut down of the residential home building sector.
James Benson, IHBA Director, said the industry has proven construction sites can operate safely due to the controlled environment and established, targeted safety protocols.
"Concerns about mobility remain unfounded - cases on sites have never surpassed 56 whether at full capacity or at the reduced workforce level of 40,000," Mr Benson said.
He said the nature of private home building also means it is the safest sector within construction, involving natural phasing of works, low site numbers and 60% of work outdoors.
On average less than two workers are operational at any one time per home, he added.
"There is an urgent societal need for the reopening of the home building sector for many reasons. We desperately need new homes to meet demand and our survey of members tells us we can build 16,000 new homes if we get back on 5 April," he added.
James Benson also said that the ongoing closure is creating a serious risk of skills shortage, house price inflation, company failures and job losses.
"Our members are increasingly reporting a flight of skills as tradespeople who have been idle in Ireland for three months look to open sites across Europe," he added.
