Minister for Housing James Browne has again urged local authorities to zone more land for housing.
In a letter, which was also signed by Minister of State for Local Government and Planning John Cummins, councils were told that seven months on from the first correspondence issued to them, it was a matter of serious concern that they have not made sufficient progress.
The view of Government is that no local authority has moved quickly enough.
The Department of Housing wants more land zoned swiftly to allow for the immediate lodging of planning applications.
In the letter to councils, they were warned that they could soon be contacted by the Department of the Taoiseach who will give them a deadline date to complete this task.
They were also reminded of the collective responsibility to address the country's urgent housing needs.
It is understood that some councils are zoning land but only in a piecemeal manner while others have ignored the request entirely.
Sinn Féin's Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin accused Minister Browne of blaming everyone else for his failing housing plan.
Councils are undertaking a clear statutory process and the minister should know this, he said.
