Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy has denied that the number of social homes built by local authorities has been overstated.

New analysis suggests that half of new social homes listed as local authority builds were bought from private developers.

The Department of Housing confirmed last month that the total number of homes built by local authorities was 780, however 386 were bought directly from a builder or developer.

In such circumstances a private developer supplies the site, builds the homes and sells units, known as "turnkey", to the local authority.

Architect and housing policy analyst Mel Reynolds, who has analysed the figures, says the units should not be categorised as local authority builds as they are being privately purchased.

"The number of local authority builds has been overstated by almost 100% for last year," he said.

The homes are added to the social housing stock, but Mr Reynolds says that the State will have paid a premium for such properties at a time when local authorities already own enough land to build more than 45,000 new homes.

"If you are going to buy new social houses from the private sector you are competing with ordinary buyers and increasing the price of new homes," he adds.

However, Minister Murphy described the claims as "splitting hairs".

"This isn't private purchasing - this is private build and delivery. People are making a false distinction between the idea that we are buying homes in finished housing estates and moving people in.

"The vast majority of approvals that come across my desk are where there is a site that may not have been built out if the local authority hadn't put the funding behind it. By doing that we get a number of houses built for people on the social housing list to occupy."

While the minister says the local authorities are not, in the main, buying already completed homes under the turnkey scheme, websites for a number of local authorities do invite expressions of interest from developers selling homes which are partially or fully complete.

Mr Murphy said the main distinction is that "turnkey" homes are built on private land.

"Every piece of building that a local authority does will be done by a private contractor. This way we are doing it also where they have the land."

He added that "very soon we are going to start building affordable housing on local authority land but there are areas where the land is in the right place and it is owned privately."

The analysis suggests that in 2017 the number of houses built directly by local authorities was 394. 11 local authorities directly built no homes at all, including South Dublin, Galway City, Longford, Monaghan and Offaly.

Darragh O'Brien, Fianna Fáil spokesperson for Housing, described the new information as "very significant".

"I welcome delivery of houses, but those houses are being bought in a shrunken market already.

"I think the Minister is hiding behind the headline figure - which is pathetic anyway at 780 - but when nearly 50% of those are being delivered simply by a local authority purchasing houses from a builder, there is a serious problem."