Mr. Bernard O'Regan:

I hope I tracked everything but if I miss a question I ask the Chair to prompt me. On how the number of 18 was selected, we made a submission as part of the Estimates process in the normal way last year. When the final allocations were made through the budget, we worked through the service plan to try to agree the allocation of moneys across the various headings that needed new development moneys and, under those headings, we looked to see if we were confident that we could deliver with that funding. Some €3 million was allocated for the nursing home project and we were confident that 18 people could be supported.

If that turns into 19 or 20, that is all the better. It will not be below 18 but we were confident we could do that. We have asked each community health organisation to look at planning for two people in each CHO, which they are doing, and to use the information they have available to them with regard to who they currently know has indicated an expression to move. Many people, for example, are involved with advocacy services through the national advocacy service and SAGE and have been supported by those. They have self-advocated and have used family advocacy to make the case and to try to work with those individuals. Inevitably, because they are looking at planning for two to three people, hard decisions must be made because there are not more than that and we know that. On the issue of the starting point, we see 18 as more than the commencement of something. We will look to grow that process substantially through the budgetary process. It is resource dependent but we will look to increase what is possible.

With regard to the current numbers, the most up-to-date figures I have are for 31 March of this year. I will try to get more up-to-date figures but members will appreciate that, due to the cyberattack, there is some impact on the availability of data. I will come back to the committee on that. On 31 March there were 1,342 people under the age of 65 in nursing homes. I do not have a figure on the number people under 65 who were in hospitals but I will follow up on that and I will submit that information to the committee.

On the steering committee, we are very conscious that the work in this area is not just about what the disability services are doing, what the nursing homes are doing or what our hospitals are doing. Our intention around the steering committee is to make sure its membership represents the key stakeholders. The service delivery side should include representation from the disabilities area, from older people services, from acute services, and include those covering independent advocacy such as the voice of people with lived experience who have a lot with which to inform a committee like this. We are working to make sure the committee represents key stakeholders so we can make sure it is leading and driving the change that is needed.