Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's comment that the Government is in the early stages of implementation but I am looking for the strategy to be prioritised. The root of the problem is that there is no co-ordination and overall responsibility for its implementation. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is charged with leading on the development of age-friendly workplaces while the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is charged with the development of alternative housing options that meet the needs of older persons. Some Departments are proceeding with the objectives but there is no overall co-ordination and implementation plan that brings together their disparate efforts. It is imperative that such a plan be developed for the strategy to be successful. It should set out clear timelines against which progress can be measured. We need to act decisively, engaging all arms of government to address the needs of the current and future generations of older people.

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