Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome NAMA here once again and thank its representatives for their regular attendance as requested.

The most startling fact that has come out of the proceedings so far is the statement made by Mr. McDonagh in regard to the failure by the local authorities to pick up on social units and sites that were being made available by NAMA. Perhaps Mr. McDonagh might clarify that. He referred to 6,500, and that 4,500 were refused. If that is the case, it is an incredible statistic. Mr. McDonagh might indicate how many local authorities were involved. He might indicate how many were sites and how many were units of accommodation, and whether there was planning granted for these units. In the middle of a housing crisis when Dublin City Council is looking for 20 sites on which to place modular housing to get some units in place before Christmas, I am amazed that a local authority would refuse any offer of a site. Was it that NAMA was putting an exorbitant price on these units? Was NAMA simply giving them back? In the present circumstances with the shortage of housing, with the shortage accommodation and with people homeless, how could the local authorities have refused all of that? Mr. McDonagh might clarify that for us and then indicate how many units still remain.

Mr. McDonagh indicated in his original contribution that 11,000 units had already been made available. As he put it, "We have sold to a range of private sector buyers sites that could potentially deliver over 11,000 units". Does that include the units that the local authorities have refused? He further states, "only 900 units have been completed or are under construction". If the local authorities declined to accept the units, why sell them on the open market when the construction sector is simply not building? The sector has only built 900 to date. Over what period of time are we referring to?