Mr. John O'Mahony:

The RIAI thanks the joint Oireachtas committee for its invitation to speak on the topic of housing for our ageing population. The RIAI is the support and registration body and competent authority for architects and the support body for architectural technologists in the State.

I am John O'Mahony, a director and council member of the RIAI and I am its housing spokesman. I am also an architect specialising in housing. I am joined by Derek Tynan who is also a director of the institute and is heavily involved in public and private sector housing.

Housing for older people is an issue that the RIAI is researching, specifically how, through planning and design, we can meet the needs of the ageing population. The purpose of our research is to assess the changes to the types and locations of housing demanded for an ageing population. The RIAI research will be finalised in the coming weeks and we would be pleased to make it available to the committee once it is completed.

As with all sectors of housing provision, housing for the elderly is complex, challenging and needs to be planned. We are ahead of the curve in recognising the issues, however. We now need to design the solutions.

Excuse me, I have a cold coming on. My voice is going.