Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 January 2017
234. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on the accuracy of housing completion statistics relied on by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2543/17]
View answerMy Department receives detailed monthly data from the ESB on the number of connections to the electricity grid; these data have for many years been used as a proxy for house completions as units are normally connected at the point at which the unit is ready for occupation. My Department maintains regular contact with the ESB to ensure that this data set remains relevant and consistent over time. The ESB recently confirmed to the Department that the connections figure includes a small, but not easily quantified, number of reconnections to the grid where the unit was disconnected, and therefore vacant, for at least two years. Furthermore, they also confirmed that service alterations are not included in the connections figures.
My Department also produces annual estimates of the housing stock using census figures, when available, completions data and an evolving estimate for obsolescence of the housing stock. I will shortly publish the final monthly housing output report for 2016 and that report will show that, after a sustained period of very low levels of activity, there are now clear positive signs of increasing supply.
My Department will continue to monitor and review a range of available sources of housing data and statistics on an ongoing basis to ensure that the best possible information is available to inform policy development and implementation.
