Sinn Fein has expressed disappointment after Eurostat dictated that Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) should be classified in the government sector.

The party's housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD accused the goverment of "sitting on its hands" despite urgings from the AHB sector and opposition parties.

He said: "The Eurostat decision does more than confirm the CSO analysis. It worryingly also indicates that, if the sector went back off balance sheet, the non-market nature of the social housing service these organisations provide must change.

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"The decision makes reference to the fact that, 'prices charges for renting cannot be seen as being economically significant, due to the fact, among others, that they do not respond to change in the market or economic signals'.

"The government must now urgently outline the contingency plans in place to ensure that the AHB delivery targets in Rebuilding Ireland are not affected by this decision in the coming years."

(CD)