Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. As she knows, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is going to launch this report later today with Threshold and Alone. That reflects the seriousness with which the Government treats this issue. The Minister will, of course, consider the findings of the report, which is a research report. It provides us with more information. That helps inform policymaking and allows us as a Government to plan and prepare for the future, but it is a reminder of a number of fundamental truths. We have an ageing population. The number of people aged 65 years and over is going to double over the coming decade or so. At the moment, there are about four people of working age for everybody of pension age, and in the coming decades that ratio will halve to 2:1. That has implications for pension provision, the cost of healthcare, the cost of home care, and so on. It is why we need to plan and prepare for the future. As well as seeking to address the immediate needs, and there are many acute immediate needs, we must also make financial provision to meet the age-related costs we know are coming our way.

It is an undeniable fact those who are in a position to buy their first home are doing so at an older age than before and there are more pensioners renting than there were in the past. We understand the added difficulty, concern and anxiety the insecurity of being a tenant can sometimes bring is even greater for those who are of pension age. That is an understandable fact. It is why the Government has made, will continue to make and will step up significant investment in the delivery of age-friendly housing through our local authorities and the approved housing bodies. We have some fantastic examples all over the country of retirement villages where there are shared services and people can live close to an urban centre and be part of a community with access to facilities and services. We need far more of that to be developed over the period ahead.

The Deputy might want to clarify what she means in relation to pensions and what she is asking for in terms of pension policy. This Government and previous governments have always recognised the extra costs many older people face and have sought to reflect that in the decisions we have made when it comes to pension supports and secondary benefits. This report is focused on older people who are renting. We acknowledge the challenge and concern that is there. It is a reminder to all of us of the need to continue to make progress in the supply of all forms of housing, especially public housing. This Government will double down on the delivery of more public housing into the future because that is where the solution ultimately lies. We will continue to support people in this circumstance through HAP and so on, but we know that for older people that does not give them the security of tenure and peace of mind they want to have as they move into older age.

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