Dr. Donal McManus:

Most of the 15 tier 3 associations would have chief executive officers or directors. The largest body has approximately 5,000 properties. The two largest have almost 10,000 properties in total and they would have a significant number of staff. They would have housing staff and support staff for tenants. They would also provide education programmes. Housing associations do not just provide housing and housing support; they also provide social programmes. I will supply the Deputy with the details on the numbers of staff employed. The larger tier 3 associations with significant stock would employ staff. The larger an association becomes, the more staff it will have to employ to deal with various issues.

Some of the mid-sized housing associations with between 300 and 400 units have come together and amalgamated. The key issue is that if one is trying to raise private finance, one needs scale. The financial bodies will look for scale and competency.