Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will let the Deputy come in later. After the 25-year period, AHBs can set the rent themselves, bring in a private company to manage them and ignore the local authority as to allocations. They do not have to go on the basis of housing need. Some of these have never gone on such a basis. I will not say "never" but the practice has not been to consult or take nominations from the local authority. AHBs can hand tenants rent supplement forms and, we have now learned, they can also sell the houses. That is the situation we are in.