The Irish Council for Social Housing has described the Government’s social housing strategy as “long overdue and badly needed.”

Director of Policy for the Irish Council for Social Housing is Karen Gallagher

“We very much welcome the social housing strategy. It’s long overdue and badly needed in terms of the delivery of secure and stable housing for all of those people who are very much in need of that housing,” she said.

“We very much welcome the fact that housing associations have a key role in that strategy as well,” she added.

The Environment Minister says the programme, which was published earlier today, includes the construction or renovation of 35,000 properties - at a cost of €3.8 bn and is designed to clear the waiting lists by 2020.

The package of measures will include the creation of 29,000 jobs to provide the required properties.

There has been a broad welcome to the plan to address the social housing supply shortage.