Mr. Pat Healy:

The project manager for the congregated settings report was Christy Lynch. The report was adopted and published in 2011. An indicative timeline of seven years, between 2012 and 2019, was established in which to implement the recommendations. As stated in the Oireachtas recently in regard to the report, the downturn in the economy had a bearing on the capital resource required. At the time in question, one of the indications from the review was that if one were to reconfigure or transform and release the resource tied up in institutional care, it would go a very long way, if not all the way, towards meeting the needs of people in a different way from within the revenue resource. However, there is, significantly, a capital resource required to release and fully implement the programme. That is related to the point the Chairman made. HIQA is now regulating. In this context, we are seeing a requirement for that to be funded. In comments this morning, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, mentioned she was engaged with colleagues in considering this matter. The challenge has featured in the current year and we hope to address it in 2015.

Even in the Chairman's area, the south, more than 200 projects are under way currently in which specific person-centred, community-based models of service are being implemented.

It is not the case that nothing is happening. As was stated in our plan last year, the pace of change is slower than was originally anticipated. That is something we would like to see progressed. Progressive and creative models are being implemented from within the same level of resources and they are better able to meet the needs of people in a more community-based and person-centred model. The congregated settings plan is one we are very focused on implementing.