What Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael promised before the 2024 election and in their Programme for Government, set against what they have actually delivered. Every number comes with a source you can check.
17,885
people homeless in emergency accommodation in August 2026, a record
Department of Housing
+64%
more children overdue a disability assessment since the end of 2024
HSE
+21%
longer hospital outpatient waiting list since January 2025
NTPF
€9bn
surplus the Government forecast for this year
Department of Finance, April 2026
Our verdict
On housing, health and disability, the things the people we help rely on most, this Government is going backwards. Homelessness is at a record. Hospital waiting lists are longer than the day it took office. Children wait two years for a disability assessment.
It froze the tax credits it promised to raise, cut the energy credits and lump sums families relied on, and rewrote targets it was not meeting. It has delivered in places, and we list those below. But with a €9 billion surplus forecast this year, the gap between what was promised and what people are getting is a choice. It is not good enough.
34 promises checked. 14 broken, getting worse, or dropped. Only 1 fully kept.
Broken4A clear promise with a date, missed or reversed.
Getting worse2The problem they promised to fix has grown.
Dropped or watered down8Cut back, redefined or replaced.
Behind13Some progress, but well short of the promise or its pace.
Partly kept2Real progress, but not the full promise.
Kept1Done, or on track.
Too early to call4The deadline is years away and nothing has happened yet.
Housing
41,000 new homes in 2025
Broken
They promised
The Government's housing targets, backed in the Programme for Government, set 41,000 homes for 2025, rising every year to 60,000 by 2030. Fine Gael printed the same yearly figures in its manifesto.
What happened
36,284 homes were built in 2025, 88.5% of the target. That was the most since 2011, but short. In November 2025 the new housing plan dropped yearly targets altogether. The Housing Minister said they "can become a distraction".
Fianna Fáil: "Build an average of 10,000 affordable units every year." Fine Gael: 9,000 affordable homes to buy a year by 2030.
What happened
In government this became "15,000 starter home supports" a year, a count that includes Help to Buy grants, not only homes built. In 2025, councils delivered 935 affordable homes to buy, and 2,347 cost-rental homes were delivered.
Review the Rent Pressure Zones (Programme for Government). Fine Gael: "Maintain the Rent Pressure Zone framework".
What happened
Replaced from 1 March 2026 by national rules. Rents can now be reset to market level between tenancies, and new builds can rise with inflation, above the 2% cap. Rents for new tenancies rose 9.1% in the year to early 2026.
The Housing Minister, November 2025: "I will rapidly implement a new dedicated Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan."
What happened
Homeless children rose from 4,603 to 5,830 (up 27%), and families from 2,164 to 2,800. The Minister said the plan would be out by the end of June 2026. That date was missed, and in September the Government said it "will shortly publish" it. Money for buying homes has been set aside.
The Government's own Waiting List Action Plan (February 2025) set a target of 50% of patients waiting less than the Sláintecare times by the end of 2025.
What happened
The HSE's own projection for 2025: 30.5% of outpatients and 30.3% of inpatients seen within those times. The outpatient list grew from 569,249 to 687,839 (up 21%) between January 2025 and August 2026, and the number waiting over a year rose 33%.
"Build four new elective hospitals (Cork, Dublin (2 sites) and Galway)." (Programme for Government)
What happened
A Department of Health official told the Oireachtas the aim over these five years is to get them "shovel-ready". The plan to 2030 commits to design and planning, not building.
Reform the Assessment of Need process and cut waiting times for children (Programme for Government).
What happened
Children overdue an assessment rose from 14,221 at the end of 2024 to 23,282 in June 2026, up 64%. Only about 1 in 10 is done on time, and the average report takes 24 months. More assessments are being done, but demand is growing faster.
Fianna Fáil: at least 20,000 more personal assistance hours a year. The Programme for Government: increase them.
What happened
Money for extra hours was given, but hours actually delivered fell, from 1,848,002 in 2024 to 1,812,517 in 2025, against a target of 1,945,000. They were down again in early 2026.
"Introduce a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment." (Programme for Government). Fine Gael said €500 a year.
What happened
Nothing in Budget 2026, and the earlier €400 one-off payments ended. It is reported for Budget 2027 at around €40 to €50 a month. Government figures put the extra cost of disability at €10,766 to €15,500 a year.
409 new classes for 2025/26 and 584 for 2026/27, plus nine new special schools. Even so, about 2,360 children were still without a place in April 2026.
Fianna Fáil: "Continue tackling the high cost of living through specific and targeted measures."
What happened
Budget 2026 removed the winter energy credits, the lump sums and the double Child Benefit payments. The ESRI found the lowest-income homes lost 4.1% of their disposable income. For Budget 2027, the Taoiseach has ruled out an energy credit for every home.
"Progressively reduce the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child." (Programme for Government). Fine Gael: "We'll limit childcare costs to €200 per month per child."
What happened
No cut for most parents in Budget 2026. From September 2026 full-time childcare can still cost up to about €796 a month. The Government's own plan now puts €200 in 2027 to 2029.
"Increase support for carers", better access to respite, and phase out the Carer's Allowance means test (Programme for Government).
What happened
Family Carers Ireland scored the 34 promises to carers in April 2026: not one fully delivered, 13 with no progress and 4 going backwards. The Carer's Allowance income disregard was raised, but to less than Fine Gael promised for Budget 2026.
"Design a Statutory Homecare Scheme." (Programme for Government). Fine Gael: "every individual has the right to homecare".
What happened
A law regulating home care providers was signed in July 2026 but has not come into force. There is still no legal right to home care, and over 5,000 people were waiting for home support in May 2026.
Fianna Fáil: "Double the Housing Adaptation Grant." The Programme for Government: increase it.
What happened
Funding rose from €99.5 million in 2025 to €129.5 million in 2026, about 30%. The most you can get has not changed since December 2024, and several councils have paused or limited new applications this year.
"Progress all key public transport infrastructure in the National Development Plan." (Programme for Government)
What happened
MetroLink moved to the tender stage in September 2026, but the estimated cost has risen from €9.5 billion in 2022 to €15.75 billion, and first passengers are now expected between 2036 and 2038. DART+ South West has been pushed to after 2030.
Rural broadband is on track to finish in 2026, and Garda recruitment is the highest since 2018. (Department of Communications)
What they said, and the record
"All the key indicators are moving in the right direction."
The record: Two weeks later the CSO reported new home completions down 3.6% on a year earlier, and homelessness hit new records in July and August. (CSO, 30 July 2026)
"I want childcare to be €200 per month per child in the lifetime of this government."
The record: The Government's own plan puts €200 in 2027 to 2029. Today full-time childcare can still cost up to about €796 a month. (TheJournal.ie, April 2026)
The National Children's Hospital would be open by 2026.
"994 special classes opened" between 1 September 2025 and 1 September 2026.
The record: That total covers two school years of new classes: 409 for 2025/26 and 584 for 2026/27. (Irish Examiner, 31 August 2026)
Budget 2027 is on Tuesday 6 October. We will update this page with what it actually delivers. Until then, see where each Budget rumour stands.
Whatever they do, claim what is there now
Promises are one thing. Grants and payments that exist today are another, and thousands of people miss out on them every year. It takes two minutes to check.
We took the promises from the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael 2024 manifestos and the Programme for Government, "Securing Ireland's Future" (January 2025). We checked each one against official figures (the CSO, the Department of Housing, the HSE, the NTPF and Budget documents) and national news reports, and we link the source for every figure. "Broken" means a clear, dated promise was missed or reversed. The Government's term runs to about 2030, so where a deadline is still years away we say how it is going rather than calling it broken.
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