A west Belfast Assemblyman has welcomed news an additional £6m will be injected into the coffers of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

Sinn Féin's Fra McCann said he hoped the money would be used to deal with the underfunding of the replacement schemes.

"Sinn Féin have been lobbying the Housing Executive and the Social Development Minister to reinstate this vital budget as a matter of urgency," said Mr McCann.

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"I am happy now that the Housing Executive have found this additional money which will ensure many schemes which had been cancelled will now go ahead delivering much needed repair to peoples homes."

He said Minister Margaret Richie "needs to take note" that "endlessly raiding her budget" for one element of housing, at the cost of maintenance schemes, would eventually prove more expensive.

"This short sighted approach condemns people to live in homes with poor or out dated heating systems and kitchens which not only have passed their sell by date but in many cases pose health and safety problems to residents," said the MLA.

(PR/BMcC)