Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like the Minister of State to champion the provision of sensory rooms more generally in respect of public buildings. They are now in hospitals and many schools, and they are beginning to be built in homes. There are many people who started their education in primary and secondary school being highly supported with intervention services and special needs assistants, SNAs, and went through our fantastic education system, for which I am a firm advocate. They then go on to fulfilling careers in the public service and other areas, where they can function very highly and do a fantastic job, but there may still be times in the day or during the week when something can throw them. There are staff in the public service, possibly even here in the Houses of the Oireachtas, who may have certain sensory issues. Sensory rooms are very small in terms of the space they take up in a building but their impact is substantial. I would love someone to be a champion for them. A sensory room was recently installed in Shannon Airport. People quietly go in before a flight and emerge feeling rested, calm and ready to board a plane. It should be a feature of most public buildings in the general specification of design, and I ask the Minister of State to push that.

Her Ministry's transfer has been streamlined well and that is welcome. I am conscious she is being flanked during the meeting by two departmental officials. Has there been any departmental resistance or barriers of which we need to be aware as a committee?

Finally, turning to the section 39 charities and organisations that have acquired housing stock with support from the Government, it concerns me - I have said this to the Minister of State previously - that many of the residential houses that are acquired for people with disabilities are former bed and breakfast accommodation or seven- or eight-bedroom houses, which the general market of buyers would not go near. We end up, therefore, with people who have profound needs being supported in an environment where the house is fantastic and the people around them support them but the house may be located 7 or 8 miles outside where they need it to be. I can think of one former bed and breakfast accommodation in Clare - I will not say where it is - that is totally remote from where the needs are. Nevertheless, the Department and the section 39 charities decided that because it has seven bedrooms, they would buy it, but that should not be the metric for whether to buy it. It should meet the needs and, if anything, be town centred in order that the resident can walk out, have a coffee and socialise and mix with people.

I thank the Chairman for his forbearance.