Here are housebuilding numbers Dept wouldn’t publish. Only 848 estate houses & apts built in 2016, <10% Dept no. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/ZWOfS4kdaz

— Lorcan Sirr (@lorcansirr) April 23, 2017

In 2016, just 2,076 houses of all types were built, or 14% of the official number. Questions now around why numbers hidden & if min. knew.

— Lorcan Sirr (@lorcansirr) April 23, 2017

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)

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Pics: Lorcan Sirr