Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Question 47: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the potential use of National Asset Management Agency properties for social housing and other social and community uses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6728/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Two of the key challenges for the housing sector at present are the oversupply of housing in certain areas, including in respect of unfinished estates, and the need sustainably to meet the increasing demand for social housing in the context of a severely restricted resource environment. There are clear linkages between the roles of my Department and the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) in addressing these challenges and there is significant potential to align the objectives of the two organisations.

My Department has already engaged with representatives of NAMA and I have also recently written to the Chairman to seek an early meeting to discuss means of securing a social dividend through the acquisition of suitable residential units for social housing purposes, while providing a return in line with NAMA's mandate.