Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin on Thursday asked Mr O’Brien to explain the discrepancy between the two figures.
Mr O’Brien said he would not question the CSO’s figures. “The CSO itself is very strong in defence of its figures and its methodology has never been questioned before. In a lengthy, tetchy exchange, Mr Ó Broin said he was not calling into question the integrity of the CSO or the veracity of their figures, but was asking the Minister to explain the gap between the two sets of data.
Mr O’Brien responded that the debate was “skewed” because it was in the context of the Government exceeding its targets under Housing for All by some 5,000 homes, and this did not “suit some narratives” he said.
Very dangerous for him
How many disconnected?