Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for comprehensively outlining all the work being done in this area. We as a committee are pleased we have identified him as the person responsible for overseeing this important area. There was some confusion in previous meetings. Therefore, it is great we know that he and his Department are responsible for this area. He has a given us a impressive overview of the work that is going on.

We learned something at our previous meeting, which came as no surprise to any of us. We learned from the representatives of Disabled Women Ireland that they feel that people with disabilities who want choice, whether to live independently or with their partners, families or friends, are not given that level of choice because the facilities or the infrastructure are not in place to enable that to happen. Does the Minister of State intend to review the national housing strategy for people with disabilities and, if so, when would that happen? He is doing a great deal of work on a consultation process. We are all wondering how the voices and experiences of people with disabilities are being included in the discussions and the plans for housing for all. Making housing available for disabled people is not enough. We need to start by pre-empting that houses are being built in this way. Some of the submissions I have read suggest that 7% of all social housing should be wheelchair accessible. Is the Department considering key recommendations like that and how it can adapt - forgive the pun - Government policy to ensure it is flexible and fully accessible to all?