Last year was a record one for the building industry, with 76,954 houses completed across the country, an increase of 11.8 per cent on 2003.
Figures released today by the Department of the Environment show the rate of house building is running at over twice that recorded in 1994. There were 16,810 houses built in Dublin in 2003 with over half this activity centered in Fingal, north Dublin.
In the greater Dublin area - which also includes counties Kildare, Meath and Wicklow - 25,915 houses were built in 2004, an increase of 140 per cent on 1994.
Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal Noel Ahern said the figures show the Government has faced up to the problems of supply in the housing market and has "created an environment for these substantial improvements in supply".
The Minister said he was particularly pleased that the highly populated areas of Dublin and the Greater Dublin area have seen an increase in availability.
The Minister also indicated he expected considerable growth in the output of affordable housing through the various affordable housing schemes, with about 11,000 expected to be delivered through these schemes from 2005 to 2007.
