Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing, Dessie Ellis TD, is criticising NAMA for attempting to spin old undelivered promises on housing as a new story.

A representative of NAMA, speaking at the annual conference of the Irish Council for Social Housing, said NAMA had offered 4,000 homes as part of a social leasing programme.

Deputy Ellis said: "It is true that NAMA offered these 4,000 homes, having previously offered 2,000, but this was nearly a year ago.

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"NAMA originally promised 2,000 homes at the end of 2011 and has not even delivered that. In reality, NAMA has delivered just 400 homes. At this rate it will take years to get close to 4,000 NAMA properties being made available.

"We have massive housing need in this state. Over the summer, the number of people on waiting lists for social housing reached a record high of 111,000. The small number of NAMA properties now occupied is a drop in the ocean but the government seem intent on wheeling out NAMA housing as the cure all for our housing crisis every few months. This is totally disingenuous. The people need housing not schemes and plans which don't deliver.

"Sinn Féin last year published a plan to begin building 9,000 homes over the next two years. Even this would not end the crisis but it would help much more than empty promises from NAMA."

(CD/JP)