Mr. Jim Baneham:

Yes. This affects only a relatively small number of units but it might affect more in the future. The Housing Agency has used long-term leases for a number of AHB projects. The one that is probably best known is the Enniskerry Road project. The transfer of the land for that is under a 150-year lease and the freehold has been transferred to the local authority. There are therefore restrictions on use for the term of the lease in that regard and the freehold ownership does not pass to the approved housing body.

We have a land fund. We receive money from the Department to buy land for both local authorities and AHBs, and it is envisaged that long-term leasing will be used as the mechanism for transferring land to AHBs under that scheme as well. It has yet to be finalised exactly how that will work, but that is how it is envisaged it will. That type of arrangement, I think, would address a lot of the concerns that have been expressed.