Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It is the issue of medical evidence being provided to local authorities on the question of medical priority housing allocation. Something needs to be done about this. Medical adjudicators are second-guessing specialists, whether they are consultants, OTs, psychologists or psychiatrists. They are often people who do not have these specialties but they are second-guessing them and putting families where there are often very severe, extreme medical conditions through the ringer. It has to stop and a circular needs to be issued. This is a health issue but it intersects with housing.

To give an example I have mentioned a couple of times, there is a young woman who has had a shocking, life-changing situation where her two children were born with muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis. These are two life-limiting conditions and this case is unique in the world but there is still this constant back and forward with the local authority over the medical evidence because there are multiple consultants involved. As we can imagine, this creates unique requirements in relation to housing. I also had a case recently of someone with scoliosis who is getting into a bath which is dangerous but the council stated the person would have to find a HAP tenancy that would suit their medical needs, which is impossible. We need to do something where we do not have second-guessing of medical professionals, mental health professionals or allied health professionals when it comes to ascertaining what someone’s housing needs are. It should not be determined by the question of resources. I understand that local authorities are under pressure but we have to start with the needs. We have to trust the medical professionals and the people who have health issues themselves and establish objectively what the medical needs are rather than second-guessing them because of resource questions.

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