Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 193 together.

Since December 2011, NAMA has identified 3,949 properties as being potentially available for social housing. The local authorities and the Housing Agency have been working systematically with NAMA to determine if there is a social housing demand for properties identified as potentially suitable for social housing, including the need for accommodation for those who are homeless. Of that 3,949, some 981 units have been identified as unsuitable by housing authorities. A further 652 have been withdrawn, usually by property owners as circumstances change. For example, units are sold or leased privately and, therefore, are no longer available.

Demand or suitability has been confirmed by housing authorities for some 670 units that are at various stages of negotiation. Efforts are being made to secure as many of the suitable properties as possible for social housing. It will continue to be my Department's objective in 2013 to maximise the delivery of social housing using all of the resources available.

By the end of 2012, some 203 units had been sourced through NAMA, 179 of which were delivered for social housing purposes. These units were delivered through a variety of funding mechanisms by local authorities and approved housing bodies, AHBs, as follows: 65 through direct leasing arrangements; 57 purchased directly by local authorities; and 57 purchased by AHBs using funding under the capital assistance scheme.

While progress has been made to date in terms of delivering units for social housing purposes, it has not been achieved at the rate originally envisaged. In the main, this is due to the complexities of getting agreement from multiple parties operating within an environment subject to a range of legal and financial constraints. I hope that the establishment by NAMA of a special purpose vehicle in 2012 to facilitate the leasing of units will accelerate delivery in 2013.

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