Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)

Approximately 180 category 4 unfinished housing developments have been identified and we are exploring with NAMA how many are under its control. Two issues arise - loans and property. Loans are under NAMA's control. However, properties are under NAMA's control only when parties fail to agree a plan, as we have seen happen in recent weeks. NAMA is accelerating this process and we can work only where we have the legal power to do so. We should not have the view that NAMA is the panacea to all of our social housing problems; that would be very foolish and I will not give any hostages to fortune, or mislead people who come from the same environment as I did, having been born and reared in a social house provided by Westmeath County Council.

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