Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I have a few questions for him. He has spoken about future planning. As the population ages, housing solutions will need to have greater complexity. I am sure he will agree that the modus operandiwill need to involve facilitating independent living as near as possible to the end of life. I wonder whether the space exists in the current housing crisis to think through the challenges we are facing with regard to the zoning of land, the housing policy of local authorities and the mapping of Government policy. I would like to get his perspective on that.

My second question relates to residents of nursing homes whose houses are vacant. There has been some public discussion on the possibility of facilitating occupancy of those houses while people are in nursing homes. How stands that possibility? It could do a lot to help to solve the current housing supply crisis.

The third issue I would like to raise relates to public nursing homes. There are some vacant beds in Fermoy Community Hospital. If hospital management personnel are seeking to hold beds for a greater level of acuity, I can understand that. The effect, in real terms, of HIQA bed management rules relating to the operational space for each bed has been to restrict the number of beds in wards that had a greater number of beds up to now. Has consideration been given to the capacity of nursing homes - particularly in the public sphere, where there is a shortage of beds at present - to provide a greater number of beds where there is serious demand?