‘NAMA must change to alleviate pressure on social housing’

NAMA legislation must change if it is to help alleviate the pressure on the social housing sector, a leading charity has warned.

John Hannigan of Respond said that although the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) is taking on 10,000 units of empty or partially-built homes, currently, the legislation did not allow it to dispose of the properties for less than what it paid. “Further amendments are needed if this is to work. The Greens are talking about it but nothing has been done yet,” he said.

Respond is currently in consultation with local authorities to ascertain the suitability of the properties for social housing, but Mr Hannigan stressed that location could be a major stalling point. “A lot of these houses were built in the Longford/Leitrim area as holiday homes,” he said.