Ms Carol Grogan:

That is perfectly okay. The housing crisis would have a bearing on the plan. Housing must be available. Part of the plan would ensure residents would be involved in making that decision. As the Senator will see from the report we published on Tuesday, in some cases residents spend a night or two in a house in advance of moving into it. They get to choose their own bedrooms and decorate them. That is very much part of the plan.

We are slightly disappointed by the pace at which people are transitioning out of congregated settings in the context of the closure of designated centres. Our overview report highlights that non-compliance rates are far higher in congregated settings. The transition must be safe and planned. Residents must be involved in that decision-making process and their rights must be upheld when they move. The disability sector is at the mercy of the housing crisis. It is incumbent on providers to find appropriate housing for people within the community in which they want to live and where their friends are. That is important.

The Senator raised an issue in respect of a gentleman with home support. As the Senator knows, we do not currently regulate home support but the intention of the Government is that the regulation of home support will be introduced in the near future. The gentleman the Senator spoke about would come under the remit of HIQA in the future. We would take a serious view of any registered residential centre that did not provide staff. We would take swift action in a registered centre in such circumstances. If the Senator wishes to give me more information about that case, we can look into it. Such a case will come under home support in the future.