Mr. Patrick O'Sullivan:

Regarding how we objectively assess, in the first instance, we are building on the previous national housing strategy since 2011, which was extended out to 2021, so we will be objectively assessing ourselves against the now-published strategy for 2022 to 2027. Disabled people's organisations and the disability sector have informed and dictated the strategy to us, by and large. To me, that is an enormous success on the part of the Department but it is a joint strategy. It is the Department working with the Departments of Health and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. That is the key success.

We had the building blocks in place from the national level down to the local level so we have our strategy in place and have the buy-in. Having that buy-in is critical. You cannot deliver at the local level without buy-in at national level from these organisations, which understand on a daily basis what their members have to deal with and the challenges they face.

At local level and in a broader context, we have the housing delivery action plans. In parallel with them, under the strategy, we have our local strategic plans for the delivery of disabled people's housing. Importantly, the housing and disability steering groups are the greatest success. They started under the previous strategy and are being carried forward under the new strategy. They are being enhanced. Although the terms of reference of these groups will be reviewed at local level, they are led out by the director of services but you are also talking about senior co-ordinators from the HSE. Again, the disability organisations are participating at national and local level. The success lies in a joined-up approach. It is not just a whole-of-Government approach. It is a whole-of-society approach. We will continue with this. I have provided statistics regarding housing allocations. Almost 58,000 households were assessed as qualifying for housing support last year, of which almost 5,000 were deemed to have one of the four disabilities. Within that, about 3,800 had a specific need-based disability and of these, 1,000 could access standard housing. We learn about and understand that from the ground up, which is so important. The success is that we have that joined-up collaborative approach and we are delivering.