Mr. Ger Deering:

EQLS was working well. That lady got her motorised wheelchair. Other people need a television or iPad. It was working well. It has never really had a budget, which is a problem, especially as money becomes tighter, for those kinds of things without a heading of their own. EQLS is working well. In fact, the entire scheme would be working well if it had a dedicated budget. Things do not happen for any initiative that does not have a dedicated budget when times are tighter. Above all schemes, this needs dedicated funding because we need to give certainty. You cannot be working with somebody for six months in the hope that money will come and then find that money does not come. The HSE needs to be able to plan at least two years in advance. It must know that the cohort of people with which it is working can be assisted to move into more suitable accommodation. As the Cathaoirleach mentioned, the impact it can have on people and their daily lives is quite extraordinary. In some cases, the cost is significant and in other cases, it is not.