Official figures released show there has been a marked increase in the number of new homes under construction in Wales.

The final quarter of 2013 saw a 6% increase in both the number of new dwellings started and those completed compared with the same quarter in the previous year. During the quarter a total of 1,305 new dwellings were started and 1,560 were completed.

The quarter also saw a 10% increase in the number of private sector dwellings completed compared with the same period in the previous year with 1,401 private sector homes added to the Welsh housing stock.

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Housing Minister Carl Sargeant said: "Building Wales out of the worst economic recession seen for generations is this government’s top priority. These figures demonstrate that our actions are clearly working – with encouraging indications that the house building sector in Wales is outperforming most parts of the UK.

"I am determined to do all I can to tackle the shortage of homes in Wales and that is why I recently announced a revised target of 10,000 new affordable homes during this term of Government.

"The £170m Help to Buy Wales initiative I launched at the start of the year will add to this momentum as it supports the construction of 5,000 new homes across Wales over the next two years."

(CD/MH)