Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for Finance if an audit has been conducted of the National Assets Management Agency properties to see if any would be suitable for social housing; if such an audit has been conducted, the quantity of these properties; the number that would need to be renovated to make them suitable and the number ready for inhabiting; and the cost of the renovations to make these properties suitable. [22951/12]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by NAMA that during 2011, in co-operation with the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency, it carried out a detailed assessment of residential properties under the control of its debtors or receivers to ascertain their potential suitability for social housing provision. In December 2011, on completing this assessment, the Agency identified the availability of over 2,000 such properties. The distribution, by local authority area, of the units identified under this initiative, is provided on NAMA's website, www.nama.ie. All of the residential units identified by NAMA are completed but some units will require final internal works, including fit-out. The number of units requiring such final works and their cost will become evident once local authorities and other prescribed housing bodies have completed their assessment of the suitability of units identified by NAMA within their functional area.

I am advised by NAMA that interested housing authorities should contact the Housing Agency about potential social housing units in their area. In cases where suitability is established, NAMA will facilitate contact and negotiations between its debtor/receiver and the housing authority.