David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I asked because it is an issue that has been dealt with in the Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government. A special committee on housing was established after the previous general election and it examined a range of issues relating to housing. One of the main issues was that we do not have enough public or social housing. In fairness to the approved housing bodies, they do not see themselves as filling that gap for the State, but given that the State has not built a large amount of public housing, they fell into providing perhaps more of the social housing that the State provides or has some influence over than was intended. The witness is correct that in some cases it might be unlikely that they would change the use, but there was some discussion in the committee as to whether there would be guarantees built into the contracts, given that the majority of funding is coming from the State, that the properties would remain for public or social housing, and if it was the case that an approved housing body was of a mind to vary the use, sell or whatever it is for whatever purpose, the State would have the first opportunity to buy through the local authorities. However, there is no conditionality in it. Notwithstanding what the AHBs may or may not do or the logic of what they might do, the fact is that there are no guarantees. Once they have repaid the loan and they own the properties, they can do what they wish with them. Is that the position?