Ms Sarah Neary:

At a national level we have guidance for social and private housing, quality housing and sustainable communities which refers to having a good mix and providing for sheltered accommodation or housing with supports for the elderly and people with disabilities. We are not keen to set targets because we have the comprehensive information from the housing needs assessment. We take a more tailored approach to each local authority. There are different age mixes in local authorities and different types of accommodation required. We set the targets for developments in each local authority. Our stage 1 approval, the capital appraisal process, examines the specific needs, the different types of houses and age profiles and ensures that projects are coming on stream to address that mix. Before the formal approval stage we have a technical meeting and discuss general schemes, density, types of unit. It works on a case by case basis. Age Friendly Ireland is doing great work in Fingal in training and dealing with private sector and social housing.

The capital assistance scheme, CAS, is a unique funding mechanism for sheltered housing or housing with supports. We encourage that and work constantly with local authorities to bring it forward through approved housing bodies, AHBs. We also encourage the use of existing units in towns and villages for social housing through the repair and leasing schemes and the buy and renew scheme.

On the private housing side the national planning framework has set the overall agenda, on the basis that our population is ageing and it has tailored the vision for that which will be translated to each local authority through the development plans, and that will cater for the range required in each local authority. Each local authority also has to produce a housing strategy which finds the needs in the area. That affects planning permission------