Updated 10.55
The Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin says houses cannot be built with the click of a finger to ease the current crisis.
His comments come after Ministers Alan Kelly and Michael Noonan met last night in a bid to end the ongoing row over housing within Government.
Yesterday, government sources said "progress is being made" after a meeting between Fine Gael and Labour ministers over the crisis.
It is understood that new measures that will be brought to Cabinet next week would make it harder for landlords to raise rents and evict tenants.
Landlords may also have to give tenants longer notice periods based on the length of time they have been renting the property.
Minister Kelly has been arguing for rent certainty that would link costs to the consumer price index, but the Department of Finance does not want to see that kind of market intervention.
Minister Howlin says they have invested in social housing and construction, but it takes time.
"Unfortunately you can't just simply start those with a click of a finger - it takes 18 months to two years to get sites identified, serviced, to get construction underway and houses built; that is happening" he said.
"In the meanwhile we need to take other measures - some have been taken, others will be taken" he added.
Group political editor with the Irish Independent, Kevin Doyle, told Newstalk Breakfast the Private Residential Tenancies Board would need more resources to police the proposed rules.
A deal is not likely to be presented to the Cabinet this morning.
