An umbrella group representing voluntary housing organisations has warned that a fall-off in the availability of State land is threatening the expansion of social housing in Ireland.
The Irish Council for Social Housing said only 25% of social housing projects built in 2004 were on State land, compared to 75% in the late 1990s.
The Government has introduced legislation requiring private builders to provide social housing, but the council said such important policies should not be "left to the speed of developers".
It said the Government should provide more State land for social housing, which is designed for people on local-authority waiting lists.