The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government says Rebuilding Ireland is working and it is ahead of schedule.
Rebuilding Ireland is a Government plan to bring housing construction in Ireland from close to zero when it started, to a minimum of 25,000 new homes being built each year from 2020/2021, rising to 35,000 new homes from 2022 under Project Ireland 2040.
A spokesperson for the department said: "All housing supply indicators are showing significant increases in supply."
The department says more than 18,000 new homes were made available for use in 2017. This includes over 2,500 vacant homes that were brought back in to use and 14,500 newly built homes occupied for the first time.
In terms of planning permissions 24,531 new homes granted permission in the 12 months up to March 2018. This marks a 37% increase on the 12 months to end of the first quarter in 2017.
In the first quarter of 2018, planning permissions were granted for 8,400 homes which is an increase of more than 81% overall. The department says these increases are due to the new fast-track planning process.
The department spokesperson also pointed out that since 2016 there has been a dedicated Department and senior Minister for Housing and there is a commitment to deliver 50,000 new social housing homes by 2021.
In terms of affordable homes, the Government points to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan for first-time buyers, and the Affordable Purchase and Affordable Rental schemes.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin has called on the Government to double capital investment in social and affordable housing in Budget 2019.
The party's Housing spokesperson Eoin O'Broin said: "Today two years ago Simon Coveney, the then housing minister launched Rebuilding Ireland to great fanfare. It had five pillars. It had over 100 actions. It promised to tackle the housing and homelessness crisis and in fact what we have seen is things getting worse."
"Homelessness is up 50%. Pensioner homelessness is up 54%. Child homelessness up 63%. The delivery of social housing is glacial. Not a single affordable home delivered over those two years to rent or to buy."
He added: "Despite all the incentives for the private sector we are still seeing private sector output very very slow. And despite all the talk of bringing vacant units back into stock, we don't even have a vacant homes strategy published."
He said the Government's plan needs to be abandoned and the Government needs to double capital investment in social and affordable housing in October's Budget.
A range of measures to protect renters, give rent certainty and get people out of emergency accommodation have also been called for.
WATCH: On the 2ndanniversary of the @RebuildingIRL launch @sinnfeinireland housing spokesperson @EOBroin says it isn’t working and wants the government to double capital investment in social & affordable housing in Budget 2019. pic.twitter.com/1Gu7nhKaG3
— RTÉ Politics (@rtepolitics) 19 July 2018
Fianna Fáil's housing spokesperson Darragh O'Brien says the Government has not met any of the targets set in the Rebuilding Ireland plan.
He said: "There are things that we can do. We need an affordable housing scheme. We need more social homes. We need to start utilising State owned land. We know there is 3,008 hectares of State owned land across the country zoned, serviced, ready to go.
"The Government is caught up in the presentation of this. We have situations in certain counties where there have been more press releases issued in 13 counties of this country than houses built. So they need to get their act together."
He said his party will be ensuring that the upcoming Budget is a housing budget.
WATCH: @fiannafailparty housing spokesperson @DarraghOBrienTD says more press releases have been issued in 13 counties than houses built. He calls on Government "get its act together." pic.twitter.com/hCb0dgeIqD
— RTÉ Politics (@rtepolitics) July 19, 2018
