Modular home expenses waste taxpayers’ cash

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has criticized the 120% cost increase in modular homes, calling it wasteful use of taxpayer money. The Comptroller and Auditor General highlighted significant delays and cost overruns in the Government’s rapid build housing program. Originally estimated at €200,000 per unit, costs now average €436,000 per unit by 2024. Tóibín compared the cost to building a traditional house in Dublin, labeling it as inefficient. The Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee member, Paul McAuliffe, defended the program’s speed but emphasized the need for increased housing production nationwide. The OPW’s pilot program for 500 modular units escalated to 654 units for 2,640 people at a cost of €285m by April 2025 due to site selection challenges.