Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That is why I asked whether the Department has set a target of a percentage to start with. When I deal with the local authority in the area where I live, often people have accidents and suddenly the house does not suit their needs. Sometimes, they cannot even be discharged from hospital as a result, which means they are taking up beds. The council has no houses available that suit their needs. In fact, I hear from the Irish Wheelchair Association that there is nothing on the private market to suit wheelchair users. A very low number of houses are being built for wheelchair users as it is. That is why we see so many people going into nursing homes. The number of people in nursing homes aged under 65 is not decreasing because we are continuing to put people into nursing homes due to the lack of availability of suitable accommodation.