Sinn Féin's urging the government to invest nearly a billion euro in a new housing programme.

The head of the construction industry is denying that there is a property bubble.

A fiscal adjustment of €800m and a spending stimulus of €1bn in October’s budget would be enough to reduce the deficit below 3% by 2015, according to the Nevin Economic Research Institute.

The NTMA raised €7.5bn last year and invested €1.3bn in the economy through the National Pension Reserve Fund (NPRF), according to its end-of-year statement.

The Government is set to re-invest €600m from the Bord Gáis Energy sale into projects which are capable of creating jobs and generating a commercial return.

One third of a potential €3bn sell-off of State assets will be used for job creation and economic stimulus.

A €3bn sell-off of state assets has been unveiled by the Government with parts of the ESB and Bord Gais energy divisions topping the privatisation list.

The future of the National Children’s Hospital depends on a jackpot windfall from new lottery operators over the coming weeks, the Government has confirmed.

STATE plans for a job creation “strategic investment bank” are to be replaced with a “fund” as the pre-election promise is “difficult to implement in current market conditions”.