Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

He or she comes out and carries out an assessment. As the Deputy knows well, occupational therapists look in many cases to see if a stairlift would work instead of building a downstairs bathroom. They may look to whether that would work. They go through a process. I accept that at times, to get a bedroom at the back of a house, there must be a high level of medical need. I generally find when working with the local authorities that there is an understanding. If there a real and genuine case, the argument can be made that a bedroom is required. They currently ask where the person is and establish if he or she is upstairs. They then ask if a stairlift would work. They ask if there is a toilet upstairs. One of the reasons I want to look at the housing adaptation grant scheme is to make certain it meets people's needs. The Deputy has made a point but there is a process to go through. We cannot have a situation whereby it is automatic because any service needs to be based on medical need.