Mr. Coil?n O'Reilly:

On the adaptations, we plan on spending our full allocation this year. The question on the financial contribution scheme is a great one. It leads to many other topics, such as the need for one-bedroom accommodation and one-bedroom older persons’ accommodation. Of the 13,377 people on our housing list, 9,069 have a one-bedroom need. That is a narrative that sometimes does not get out there. We hear much about the need for three-bedroom family homes and stuff like this. However, the reality is that the vast majority of people on our housing lists and our housing assistance payment, HAP, transfer list need one-bedroom units. That also leads into right-sizing, which is the financial contribution scheme. The scheme is hugely popular, but we have to have the units on the other side to put people into. I am not being flippant, but if we do not have the one-bedroom units, there is a bit of a moral hazard element as well with queue-jumping and stuff like that with it. We have to be very careful how we do that.

It comes back to the need for significant developments within our programme of older persons’ accommodation. Even within our own housing stock, we would have large numbers of people who have two more bedrooms than they need for their current situation in life. That, yet again, is a complexity. People who have raised a family in a three-bedroom home for many years are now just living there by themselves. How does one engage with that person?

It just goes back to the need for one-bed accommodation for older persons to meet the downsizing need and the financial contribution scheme. A focus on that on our part will help.