Mr. Peter Tyndall:

I realise that question is mostly for colleagues in the Department of Health and the HSE. All I would say is that they should ask for a lot because I do not believe this is cheap. However, sometimes, it is necessary to do the right thing rather than the cheap thing. This is one of those instances where we need to invest to make sure people can enjoy decent lives.

The point about housing was properly raised. It is a major issue. Some of the people with whom we spoke had adapted housing available to them, which made it all the more frustrating for them. An example would be where someone works with a housing provider to make sure he or she will be provided with a house into which he or she can move but then cannot get a support package to allow him or her to move out and into it. Housing is a real issue. My office sees a lot of complaints about access to adaptations funding from local authorities. We need to make sure there is an element of funding for the housing and adaptations required as part of any package because the demand will exceed the budgets that are available to local authorities. I am sure this is something the Department of Health will be working on. If people with disabilities are living in the community and are able to lead engaged lives, that means they should be able to visit their neighbours so this is not just about adapting houses for people to live in. It is also about making sure that all of the housing that has been built in the State can be visited by somebody in a wheelchair. It does not mean they have to be able to live in it. I understand the issues. Adaptation should also be easy. Simple things like straight staircases allowing for a stairlift, wider doors and enough room in a bathroom are not hugely difficult but often they get left out in the debate about the need to produce units. We should remember that if people with disabilities are living in the community and are your neighbours, they will want to be able to come and see you so that is an important consideration as well.