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

It is good to have both agencies in the room because we regularly hear the local authority blaming the HSE and the HSE blaming the local authority for accessible housing and support packages not being in place and for not working in tandem. I acknowledge the situation has improved with the new steering committees and I hear of good working relationships on the ground between a local authority and the HSE or disability manager on the ground, though I have been told that the national level of the HSE can be inflexible at times and a degree of flexibility at that level would be important to allow disability managers to do as they see fit on the ground. They are not going to make decisions that are not necessary.

Some of my colleagues already raised this. It was mentioned in Ms Farrelly's opening statement that the steering groups have disability service providers on them. It is important that it is disabled people's organisations, DPOs, that are engaging with the steering committees as they are speaking for themselves. It is important local authorities are cognisant of the different forms of disability. Disability is not only physical; it is sensory, intellectual and relates to mental health. Those people should be engaged with at design stage, rather than later. Sometimes we hear from disabled people at this committee who talk about engaging in consultation, for example with the National Transport Authority or another organisation. They say they are brought in to tick a box and that the decision has already been made. Sometimes the design is wrong from the start and they are brought in when it is already at an advanced stage. That is important. I heard about a housing scheme, not in this country, but elsewhere, that was built on a hill. No thought went into that, that houses for wheelchair users would be on a hill.

Universal design is welcome. Ms Farrelly said a new design standard is being developed. Currently, the minimum standard for universal design is only wheelchair visitable. There are calls for that to be changed. Is that what Ms Farrelly was talking about, that the standard should now be wheelchair liveable? It is important that a percentage of houses in every development going forward are accessible because it is more cost effective than adapting a house later.

What are the witnesses thoughts about a programme of downsizing? I have come across individuals who have a local authority house. They had a family. The family has now grown up and moved on and the individuals are living in a three-bedroom house, may have developed mobility issues or an illness and they want to downsize to a two-bedroom house, but it is not happening. I am sure the three or four bedroom house would benefit a family. I am told the reason is that there is a shortage of two bedroom houses. It needs to be addressed. In other countries, this is done as a matter of course and it is quite good.

Organisations that were before the committee in December spoke about the CAS funding. They said it does not support independent living for disabled people. There is no funding for disability in housing or focus on disability in the CAS. There is funding available for the CAS but it does not take account of the additional supports people will need if they move into a house. That needs to be built in.

There is no Revenue to support specialist services such as respite. Could the CAS be widened to support respite services in an area? I do not know whether that is possible. It was just mentioned by them as well.

I also emphasise that accessible housing is not only about the house itself. It is about the whole environment, making sure there are accessible transport links to education or employment, whatever is the case.

The HSE talked about people younger than 65 being in nursing homes. That figure is not coming down and the reason is that while people are being moved into the community, more people are still going into nursing homes. The practice continues. Is there a plan in place to stop that practice? Will enough accessible houses be built in housing developments as we go forward? The same could be said about congregated settings. Again, moving people out of congregated settings into the community has been quite slow. There has been some progress and that is welcome, but there is still a long way to go.