Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I often wonder if Ministers of State did something bad in a previous life that has caused them to be sent in here week after week to read out statements. This issue, in fairness to the Minister of State, is not his brief or portfolio. I thank the Minister of State for the information, which is identical, word for word, to a parliamentary question reply I got two weeks ago. However, having the Minister of State read it out to me rather than having to read it for myself is much more pleasurable.

We are asking the Minister of State to do something simple, and I appreciate that we have to go through this little bit of performance. There is a significant request from ourselves, from a unanimity of councillors representing the local electoral area on a cross-party basis, and from the communities there, on the NAMA stake. This will have to be transferred to a public body and the only way we will get the affordable homes, which is a legal requirement of the SDZ, and get the entire scheme unlocked, is if NAMA's interest is transferred to Dublin City Council. I know that in his reply the Minister of State will not give me the information I am looking for but I ask him to give us an assurance that he will at least pass on, both to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, the need for them to actively consider this.

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