Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Taoiseach remembers the early instalments of Harry Potter when he lived under the stairs in a little alcove. When I see this particular topic of well-being framework, it reminded me of that because yesterday we were in Ballinamore and Drumshambo in County Leitrim with the Minister for housing opening some new houses. One of the houses I visited was that of a family there that have a little boy with autism. When he has particular bad meltdowns, they need a place for him to go and the only place they have to put him is under the stairs. They have lights in under the stairs, a little place where he can go in - a cubbyhole - and he sits there. They go in and cuddle him there. It is not big enough or spacious enough. The boy is nine. They have contacted the HSE. They have contacted the local authority. The multidisciplinary team came out and approved that under the stairs was an appropriate place for him to be. We need to recognise that some of the places that we are putting our children, and approving as being adequate, in our society are well in breach of a well-being framework.

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