Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Minister of State spoke about the need for respite housing and disability housing in general. I have spoken to Bernard Gloster, the local authorities and the Minister about this. While they accept there is an issue, nobody has exactly come up with a solution yet. Approved housing bodies such as St. John of God used the capital assistance scheme to buy houses.

The organisation rented the houses and when the landlord decided to sell them they wanted to use the CAS to purchase them or alternative housing. The organisation was looking at three purchases, two of which were in County Louth and one of which was in County Meath. It was at that point the local authority explained that CAS funding is thrown in with the tenant in situ scheme and all the acquisitions of social housing by the local authority, and that they just do not have the money for it. I get this issue does not fall within the remit of the Minister of State but it needs to be addressed because there is a huge number of residents in disability housing who might have nowhere to go. Whatever about the wider housing issues, CAS funding and funding for the tenant in situ scheme, we need a solution. St. John of God is considering buying a house in County Meath and is dealing directly with the HSE. Again, we just need a protocol and a methodology because the process has changed very fast. Is the Minister of State aware of this case?