Sir, – Lorcan Sirr’s article (Opinion, March 19th) presents a sweeping critique of Ireland’s housing and infrastructure plans but rests more on assertion than evidence.
The central claim, that delivery is effectively a “roll of the dice”, is not supported by credible or up to date data. In reality, output has been rising materially in recent years, with completions reaching about 36,000 in 2025 and expected to increase further, even if still short of long-term requirements. That is not randomness; it is a system delivering, albeit imperfectly.
More importantly, the article offers little quantification of the constraints it highlights. Issues such as infrastructure lag, planning timelines and viability are real, but without data on capacity, funding pipelines or comparative international benchmarks, the argument becomes speculative rather than analytical.
There is also a notable absence of counterfactuals. If current plans are dismissed as inadequate, what alternative delivery model, grounded in cost, scale and time frame is being proposed? Critique without a measurable alternative adds little to policy debate.
RM Block
Ireland’s housing challenge is serious, but it is also increasingly well understood. The gap between current output and required delivery is quantifiable, and policy responses, while open to improvement, are not being made in the dark.
Robust debate is welcome. However, it should be anchored in evidence rather than rhetoric. – Yours, etc,
PAT FARRELL,
Irish Institutional Property chief executive,
Fitzwilliam House,
Dublin 2.
