Ms Catherine McGuigan:

Thank you Chairman and members. A lot of ground has been covered in those comments. The first thing I wish to reply on is the different models. I have mentioned the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design and if the committee is going to invite other organisations to attend that would be a critical question. In respect of the 3% additional cost, in particular, that can be really be explained because with the additional dividends that arise, one will quickly see that percentage addressed when one is located beside a primary care location. The overall fund decreases because one is cutting costs where there is proximity to services. There is a reduction of the burdens, a decrease in missed hospital appointments and all of those kinds of issues. Dr. Craddock would be able to encapsulate these issues and show the key things that need to be included. Making this part of planning requirements at local level rather than by way of a mandate encourages competitiveness.

One of the local authorities we work with has written age-friendly or accessibility provisions into its procurement guidelines so that anything that arises, be it a housing development or buying a photocopier, is included at local level. The SLIOTAR report that I sent to the committee, demonstrates that one can be flexible at local level to encourage this approach and to encourage a level of competitiveness.

Deputy Casey talked about standards. The housing and public realm training that we have delivered to all of the local authorities was also recently delivered to 21 officials within the Department. The Assistant Secretary, who is on our oversight group, said it is really important that we understand what is coming down the line, and where we can be creative and work better with local government, particularly in terms of planning.

One of the issues referred to was standardised design, some of which has already been captured. There are many examples of this. One of these is where the housing supports have been developed by Dublin City Council with a number of different agencies. This is going to be launched as an example of the methodology and how they came up with it.

We need to be aware as well of where there is a density problem and of the differences between urban and rural. If one wants to build an older person's suite of housing and give choice in a small rural town, that is quite different from Dublin city centre. We really need to be cognisant of sprawling populations too. Older people will say choice needs to be made available. People cannot have the grandchildren to stay over in a one bedroom apartment; that is not going to be sustainable. We need to proceedpro rataon the basis of where the density is but it needs to be realistic. We must provide proper choice and ensure people have access to services but that they still have space if they want to have family coming and going.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council was one of the examples I quoted in the presentation. I know I went through it fairly rapidly but it actually does have a questions and answers facility. If one is interested in downsizing, one can ring the local authority and talk to them about the various options. That is something that could be replicated and is available in some local authorities already where people can ask what their options are. It is the same if people want to know what supports are in place for their ageing parents who may not be able to manage. People want answers to the following: What is a home-care package? What is the rural transport programme? What events are on? Mr. Bond talked about earlier in his submission about support co-ordination, the Cúltaca role, being able to provide that information at local level and this is what Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown is doing.

If we look at the projections and choices that need to be made available and then respond to that, it speaks to the issue referred to by the Deputy of lifetime communities and mixed tenure, with three bedroom and four bedroom houses and two bedroom apartments, with a warden on site and with good access. People can live in those communities for years on end.

I really want to press home that piece around universal design because it is more cost-effective in the long run. The competition that was run last year was won by Abhaile. It is a lovely option and that would have been replicated in the Georgian quarter in Limerick, where older people might have three or four storey houses, parts of which can be converted so they can continue to live there. Much information has been garnered through those competitions and the case studies that have been worked through by the Department which we can share to see how this can be replicated across the board.