Breakdown of housing last year in Ireland:
21000 homes were built last year.
The state aquired 4400 for social housing
5068 were one off builds in mainly rural areas for the most part built by their owners and not offered for sale
12529 were new housing estates of which the state received 4392 for social housing
Local authorities and approved housing bodies received 2,229 through Part V, a planning law requiring developers to hand over a portion of all new schemes so they can be used for social housing.
The state bought or leased 2163 for social housing
Investment funds bought 95% of 3,644 apartments completed last year
8000 went on the open market.

A vivid illustration of part of the problem is below:
€386,000 average cost of a home in Dublin is now beyond most would-be first-time buyers. A young couple with a combined income of €94,000 would still be unable to get a mortgage that would allow them to buy a home at that price.