Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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555. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware that the National Asset Management Agency is effectively breaking residential contracts which were agreed between home owners and particular developers who are now under its remit by now making many empty housing units in certain housing estates, which were not sold at the time of the developer's difficulties available for social housing; that one such occurrence is now taking place in an estate (details supplied) in County Sligo; his views on this particular issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40162/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Government has enabled and facilitated the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) in playing an important role in the delivery of housing supply generally, and social housing in particular.  In that context NAMA affords public bodies first option on the acquisition of land and property required for demonstrable public purposes. In the context of social housing delivery, NAMA has had ongoing engagement, since December 2011, with my Department and the Housing Agency in identifying properties that might potentially be suitable for social housing purposes. To the end of September 2015, a total of 1,600 NAMA residential properties have been delivered for social housing use, comprising 1,241 completed properties and a further 359 that have been contracted and where completion work is on-going.  A special purpose vehicle (SPV), known as National Asset Residential Property Services Limited (NARPS), has been established by NAMA as a social housing delivery mechanism. The purpose of the SPV is to acquire properties from developers or receivers in NAMA’s portfolio of loans and to make these available to local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) by way of a long term lease. In this way, a number of legal complexities around the securing of properties can be addressed and the process can move more quickly. Once a demand has been confirmed for properties by the local authority, NAMA will assess the possibility of the SPV acquiring the property and identifying a local authority or AHB to lease the property from the SPV.

In relation to the houses in the development concerned, NAMA funded the owner of the properties to complete units which were incomplete and vacant, and to address issues of non-compliance in the wider development, to the benefit of all residents. NARPS completed the purchase of four units, and the AHB STEER Housing Association will lease these units under an arrangement that will ensure that the units are tenanted and maintained to a high standard. As part of this process, Sligo County Council has considered both the demand for social housing and potential impacts regarding the private and social housing mix in assessing whether these properties are suitable for social housing purposes.