Questioning CSO housing figures ‘very dangerous’, Darragh O’Brien says

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien has defended Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures on housing completions that indicated just under 30,000 homes were built in the State last year.

Mr O’Brien told an Oireachtas Housing Committee that questioning the CSO figures was “very dangerous” and was akin to questioning their figures on “births and deaths”.

The CSO recently said 29,851 homes were built last year, basing its figure on the number of new dwellings connected to the electricity network. However, private firm Construction Information Services (CIS) last week argued that the National Building Control Office’s certification system was a better guide and that this produced a 23,751 total.

The CSO disputed the methodology. It said the certification system was “not only missing one-off single houses, of which there were more than 5,500 in 2022, it also lacked a consistent method of data collection” as individual architects or developers provided the information.

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Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin on Thursday asked Mr O’Brien to explain the discrepancy between the two figures.

“Do you not think it merits asking the question why is there such a big difference between the ESB connection methodology, which the CSO uses legitimately and I have no question with that, and another set of Government data, which is the completion certificates through the building control management system?” Mr Ó Broin asked. “That’s a big gap and I think it’s worthwhile answering so we’re absolutely sure which are the most accurate set of figures.”

Mr O’Brien said he would not question the CSO’s figures. “The CSO itself is very strong in defence of its figures and its methodology has never been questioned before.

“That is our own Central Statistics Office and we are dependent on them, and I don’t think anyone has ever called their expertise, their knowledge, and their know-how into question before. The CSO figures are the correct figures, for us to start questioning those figures or the veracity of them is not something I would support.”

In a lengthy, tetchy exchange, Mr Ó Broin said he was not calling into question the integrity of the CSO or the veracity of their figures, but was asking the Minister to explain the gap between the two sets of data.

“You can’t explain the difference between the two data sets, or you’re not interested in the difference, or you are avoiding the question as usual,” Mr Ó Broin said. He said the minister was deflecting from the issue. “As Minister should you not want to explain the difference?”

Mr O’Brien responded that the debate was “skewed” because it was in the context of the Government exceeding its targets under Housing for All by some 5,000 homes, and this did not “suit some narratives” he said.

Residential buildings must have an architect’s certificate of completion, which says they meet required standards, before they can be opened or occupied. CIS argues that this is the best guide to the number of new homes actually available.

The CSO says its investigations determined that ESB Networks connection figures were the most suitable as a single organisation collects the information in a consistent format.