‘When Gardaí Manipulate Statistics, There Are Inquiries’

at

Further to architect Maoilíosa Reynolds writing an article in the Sunday Business Post two Sundays ago.

In which he raised serious concerns about the Department of Housing’s seemingly disingenuous methodology when it comes to calculating house building figures – namely basing the number of house completions on ESB connections…

And him calculating that the actual figure was about half the official figure of 14,932…

And, when asked about basing the official figures on ESB connections, Housing Minister Simon Coveney telling Keelin Shanley on RTÉ’s News At One last week, “All I can do is use the same methodology that we’ve always used”

Housing lecturer at Dublin Institute of Technology Lorcan Sirr wrote an article in yesterday’s Sunday Times, saying:

“That the department responsible for housing will not publish the number of houses built in a year is an extraordinary state of affairs in a housing crisis. When gardai manipulate inaccurate statistics, there are inquiries; the department evidently needs interdepartmental assistance with the concept of transparency.”

Mr Sirr also spoke on News At One earlier today about new housing figures he has obtained, under Freedom of Information.

They show that just 2,076 houses of all types were built last year, or 14% of the official number.

Number’s up for Coveney (Lorcan Sirr, Sunday Times)

Listen back in full here

Previously: ‘If You Want To Solve A Problem…’

Pics: Lorcan Sirr

Sponsored Link

14 thoughts on “‘When Gardaí Manipulate Statistics, There Are Inquiries’

  1. Starina

    in a business that’d be known as padding the numbers and the person would be fired for fraud. the govt ministers are shysters

      1. Increasing Displacement

        “Powers of enquiry called into question after 3 years and 15 million euro…minister retires with full pension…”

  2. realPolithicks

    Why would anyone actually believe any statistics produced by an Irish government department?

  3. anne

    15,000 down to 2,000..
    What a shower of jokers.

    We’re going to end up with thousands of OAPs homeless or severely impoverished if this continues.

    How can you pay massive rent on 200 euro a week of an old age pension? Send them all off to the Aran Islands to live in huts?

    And they’ll be called welfare scroungers then.. social welfare is for the benefit and to prop up the wealthy in this country. The sooner peiple get that the better..then we can stop this bullsh*t of focusing on welfare fraud and deal with taxing the wealthy.

    We currently have vulture funds repossessing properties in the thousands..and they’re paying no tax. As baldy Noonan said they’re providing a service of cleaning the dead carcass in society.. ironic coming from a half dead cretin like himself.

  4. Andy

    With such a large discrepancy would both sides not be questioning their numbers?

    Easiest solution is for them to ring each other, drill into the stats together and sort it out over a few days, no?

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie