Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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50. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to discuss immediately transferring land from the National Asset Management Agency to local authorities to increase the supply of social housing with the Department of Finance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11182/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Firstly, in relation to the prospect of the specific transfer of land to local authorities or other state bodies, I have to emphasise that NAMA does not own property or land. Its role in relation to property and land is that of a secured lender.  In that capacity, NAMA requires its debtors and receivers to openly market the sale of properties and land to ensure that the best possible price is achieved at the time of the sale.  Transactions are conducted on a commercial basis by reference to assessed market value. This is required under Section 10 of the NAMA Act. The Government has enabled and facilitated 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 Budget 2016, the Minister for Finance announced that NAMA, having carried out a review of residentially zoned sites under the control of its debtors and receivers, is aiming to fund the delivery of a target 20,000 additional new homes before the end of 2020.

With regard to land currently available for social housing development, the Housing Agency, in consultation with my Department and local authorities, is updating data and developing a detailed database and GIS map of local authority owned lands, as well as the Land Aggregation Scheme lands, showing their location, size, boundaries and other information. This exercise has identified some 700 such sites nationally. This map will be updated during the lifetime of the Social Housing Strategy to record the development and use of lands.