Almost 70,000 new homes were built in the Republic last year, an increase of 19.3 per cent on the previous 12 months.
There were a total of 68,819 public and privately funded houses and apartments built in 2003. It was the ninth straight annual increase in housebuilding figures.
There was a 14 per cent rise in house completions in Dublin, at 14,394 units, while the 22,852 homes built in the Greater Dublin Area represented a 10.5 per cent increase.
A total of 6,325 new homes were built in Co Cork.
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The Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal, Mr Noel Ahern, said today the figures were "proof that the various Government measures to boost the supply of housing have been successful and will continue to be so."