There's been a call for a special Task Force to centralise efforts to end the housing crisis.

The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland says an expert group could help co-ordinate the building of 5 thousand new homes by 2017.

They want the task force to be directly accountable to the Dáil - and say delivering homes for those most in need would be a priority.

Institute president Robin Mandal says currently there's a lack of joined up thinking: