Only 6,235 commencement notices were issued in the first six months of this year, according to Department of Housing figures.

This is compared to 34,581 in the first half of 2024 and marks the worst June for housing starts since 2020 - a time when the construction industry was greatly restricted due to the Covid pandemic.

Conor O’Connell from the Construction Industry Federation and Eoin Ó Broin, Sinn Fein housing spokesperson, join The Last Word to discuss why there has been a massive fall off and what can be done to reverse the trend.

Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!