Ms Siobhán McArdle:

I thank Ms Timmons and Senator Boyhan. To add to what Ms Timmons said, the Department of Health works very closely with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the agencies on joint delivery and joint design. We are very much supportive of and involved in the Housing for All programme, in particular for people with disabilities or particular vulnerabilities.

As for the community response, it is really important to consider the role home support plays in supporting people with disabilities and older people who are frail or who need support. The home support budget is based on need rather than the fact of coming from a particular group. It is open to all and based on assessed need. The Department of Health, through the HSE, funds to the level of €670 million per annum home support that enables people to live well and safely in their own homes. That is very important, picking up on the point Ms Timmons raised about the universal design and the appropriate future-proofing of future accommodation, aligned with the community-based supports such as home support or those provided through the community healthcare networks. The integrated healthcare programmes for older people are resourced out in the community. Together, I think those two pieces will make a variety of choices and safe options available to older people as they age.