Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and her officials and thank them for everything they are doing. Theirs is a very energetic team and their office has been very good throughout the time I have been in the Dáil when dealing with complex issues we occasionally encounter in our constituency offices. They have been very engaging in that regard.

To follow on from the point our colleague mentioned regarding housing, we heretofore spoke about percentages of housing in a development needing to be equipped for disability or one's future needs. I fully agree with Deputy Tully and the Minister of State that it is essential all housing stock be equipped for one's future needs. None of us knows what lies ahead. Some of us are born with limitations, while others, unfortunately, acquire them during their lifetime, and it is important the housing stock reflect that.

As a general housing point, this is an issue that arises time and again and it relates directly to Deputy Rabbitte's Ministry. There are many empty nesters who have four-bedroom houses in council estates. The spouse may have passed on, the children may have left and there could be someone down the road, often with a disability, who would love to be able to live in the house. We need to re-examine the configuration of housing and of the idea that, when someone gets the keys for a local authority house, irrespective of when the person got those keys, the house will be his or hers forever. In case the person's needs change, there needs to be flexibility built in. I know of people in County Clare with profound disabilities who are still struggling to get housed. There are ideal units in their town and village but they are taken up, often with many of the rooms vacant. Flexibility needs to be built in to that.

Turning to the housing adaptation grant, the inclusion of sensory rooms last year was really positive. I was a teacher in a former life and I developed our sensory room in Parteen National School. The rooms are fabulous. When a child is in a state of high anxiety or stimming, he or she can withdraw to that space, relax and come back ready to engage. They have been in schools for only a few years, but it is incredible - revolutionary, in fact - that they are now being provided in homes, with Government support. Does the Minister of State have any metrics to determine how that is going?