Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the two speakers for attending. We have had the opportunity to read their presentations and papers. I want to ask a number of questions to keep the focus here. What percentage of housing associations' annual income comes from State agencies, either local or central government? That is a really important thing for us to understand. I would like to see some stats on it rather than just vague numbers. Do the housing associations have other income coming in from the provision of related services, in terms of rent and other charges? We need to break down their income. It is an important aspect of how this is all going to be analysed. What other forms of income are they getting outside of that? If the witnesses cannot share that information with us today, perhaps they could provide it to the committee soon.

Will the reclassification of the AHBs have any impact on their staff's contractual arrangements? Can the witnesses give us the specifics in that regard? Mr. O'Gorman stated earlier that the Housing Alliance has a number of concerns about the CSO analysis and does not agree with the entirety of its assessment.

I share those concerns. Mr. O'Gorman also stated: "We have taken advice which suggests there are grounds for concluding that the CSO’s analysis of the current situation is open to challenge and that even in the present circumstances, AHBs should be classified as public non-financial corporations rather than the general government sector." That is a very profound statement. I share the concerns of the witnesses in that regard. Given the sensitivity of the surrounding matters, I do not know how much the witnesses can tell us about the advice and indication they are getting but the more the committee can understand about this, the better.

I acknowledge the enormous role played by the approved bodies in regard to housing and its significance in terms of Rebuilding Ireland. There is no doubt that AHBs are expected to deliver on housing, be it social, affordable or the rental sector. Approved housing bodies are key players and I would like to think that the committee will support them where possible. However, because the issue involves from where they derive their income, it would be helpful if the witnesses could provide the committee with a very clear and detailed analysis of that income.