Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. I will ask my colleagues in the HSE to answer some of those questions or to assist me in delivering answers to them. On the gaps, the disability action plan addresses some of them. However, we are aware that more needs to be done. On adult autism assessments, we secured funding in budget 2021 to commence this process.

The Senator raised an issue which is critical to disability being addressed through a whole-of-government approach. I refer to interdepartmental working. When the national development plan was being developed, I took it upon myself to write to every individual Minister to ask them to disability-proof their submissions to the plan. When the budget was coming up, I wrote to every individual Minister to ensure that their budget submissions and applications for funding were also disability-proofed.

The Senator is correct, in that significant infrastructural changes are coming down the track. That is why there is an entire section on disability in the housing policy introduced by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It covers everything from universal design to adaptations in order that people can stay in their homes and be supported. That is in the intersectional piece. I have yet to find a Department that does not let me in the door when I knock. They all want to work together. The Senator is also correct, though, in that there needs to be more understanding and awareness of what universal design and inclusion really entail. We spoke about getting houses for the under-65s and supporting them. We would be better off building those houses from the ground up because that would provide for universal usage. It would be a home, but one that could be repurposed within the community.

I will hand over to Mr. O'Regan to pick up on whatever points I have forgotten.