League table of best social home building councils to be discussed by Cabinet
It is understood that Housing Minister James Browne will request the Government to note local authorities' new build social housing outputs against the Housing for All plan targets at Cabinet.
It is expected that the Government will consider two sets of data. This includes local authorities who are delivering above their overall social housing build targets as well as the delivery of social housing via their own construction of social housing on local authority land.
The release of this type of data is aimed at "ensuring and increasing transparency and accountability at all levels", sources said on Monday evening.
Some 14 out of 31 local authorities exceeded their social housing targets when all new build delivery is considered. This includes Local Authority Builds, turnkeys, approved housing body builds and turnkeys and Part V delivery between 2022 and 2024.
Donegal was the worst performer delivering just 46 per cent of its target. This was followed by Dublin City Council (49 per cent), Sligo (55 per cent), Galway County (58 per cent), Longford (64 per cent), Fingal (67 per cent) and Cork County (70 per cent).
When only local authority "own build" social homes are counted, no local authority hit their targets.
The highest performer between 2022 and 2024 was Leitrim, who hit just 45 per cent of its target.
Louth was the weakest performer, hitting just 4 per cent of its social home target.
This was followed by Cork County (8 per cent), Sligo (10 per cent), Dun Laoghaire Rathdown (10 per cent), Longford (11 per cent), Galway City (11 per cent) and Dublin City (11 per cent).
The Programme for Government commits to building on average 12,000 new social homes per year. However, it has repeatedly missed this target.
Minister Browne will also bring a memo to Cabinet aimed at speeding up the delivery of social homes across the country and "reducing bureaucracy" during the approvals process.
He plans to simplify the current four-step approval process into one, with the Department of Housing focusing on encouraging the use of modern construction methods.
It is expected that the single-stage approval process will become operational in the third quarter of this year.
Minister Browne will mandate the use of specific design layouts and specifications for all new build social housing projects.
He will also bring a further memo of the Planning and Development Bill to Cabinet for approval to extend planning permissions for homes due to expire shortly that have not yet been commenced due to Judicial Review delays.
Meanwhile, Tánaiste and Trade Minister Simon Harris will tell Cabinet that there is "positive momentum" in EU-US trade talks, but that 10 per cent baseline tariffs in some sectors will pose challenges for the Irish economy and businesses.
There is just one week to go until the end of US President Donald Trump's 90-day tariff pause on July 9.
He will tell colleagues of a growing belief at an EU level that an agreement can be reached within the narrow timeframe on an outline deal.
This, he will say, will require further negotiation and discussion both between EU-US, and within the EU-27.
He will say that any deal will have to be assessed against what exclusions from a baseline 10 per cent tariff can be secured, including scope for zero-for-zero arrangements for key sectors, as well as clarity on the outcome of the Sector 232 investigations, including on pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and aviation.
The Tánaiste will also this week chair a meeting of the Government Trade Forum on Wednesday and will travel to Berlin on Friday to meet with his German counterpart.
In a speech to be delivered later today at an event marking exactly one year until Ireland takes up the EU Presidency in the second half of 2026, the Tánaiste will say that the ongoing trade talks "will fundamentally alter the Union's relationship with the United States".
He is due to say: "We remain hopeful of a deal but whatever the outcome, it is clear tariffs will remain a feature of the geopolitical trading arrangements. Europe has stood tall together and this has been essential in ensuring we get the best possible outcome.
"But there is nobody standing here today that can predict what will happen next week with certainty."
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