Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy English, for coming to the House today to take this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Kelly. I have raised this Commencement matter on foot of a serious and urgent representation I received over the summer, which I have attempted to resolve both at local level and with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Before making this representation, I have raised repeatedly the lack of suitable disability housing for those in need in County Louth. I am dealing with a few serious cases that I intend to highlight today as a representative sample, in which the quality of life for the individuals concerned is being impeded due to the lack of suitable housing in the area to which to transfer these individuals and their families. In some cases, the medical issue or disability has been exacerbated due to the living situation or accidents have occurred due to stairs. I do not raise these matters lightly or without approaching them from numerous angles with Louth County Council and various council members. There simply is no suitable housing to be found for those with a disability on the housing list or the transfer list.

I have made hundreds of calls, attended meetings and have written letters and e-mails in respect of specific cases over the past two years. In one case, the person concerned has provided an abundance of medical evidence proving the current living situation is unsuitable for her condition but yet, she still remains in a two-storey home. Two years later, I continue to be informed that there is no accommodation suitable for this family. The representation I mentioned earlier which I received over the summer is also of extreme urgency. It involves a young family with four young children that received the devastating news that due to his diagnosis of bone cancer, their four-year-old son must have his leg amputated on 4 November. This young child's mother was also delivered of a new baby last Friday. When this little boy comes home from hospital in a wheelchair with his family, he will be returning to a two-storey house that does not have a downstairs toilet or any facilities for wheelchairs downstairs. I understand the child's condition is extremely painful and his parents must carry him up and down the stairs several times during the day for toileting and bedtime. I visited the house myself and completely agree it is not suitable for a wheelchair. I raised this issue in July in the hope that by November, something would be in place, namely, either the house would be adapted or the family would be accepted onto the transfer list to move.Unfortunately, nothing has happened since July. I have been most disappointed with the response to the case. Once the housing transfer form was submitted, it took a number of weeks, and several phone calls, for this family to be contacted. When the family was initially contacted they were told the matter would be dealt with in due course. That is okay if somebody is seeking assistance, as I understand there are priorities, but this case is a major priority. At the very least, an occupational therapist should have attended the home at the earliest opportunity, as far back as last July, to get the necessary assessment out of the way so that when a house became available, those matters would already have been addressed. What this family is going through is life changing and very stressful. This young boy will have to use a wheelchair after his surgery and he will come home to a house that is not wheelchair accessible. There are not enough bedrooms, and there is not sufficient space, in the house. I am disappointed with the response in each of the cases I have raised here and I am disappointed with the provision of disability medical housing in County Louth.

In May of this year, €10 million was allocated in funding for supports for people with disability. I would not raise the cases if they were not so urgent. I ask the Minister to examine such situations and to improve disability housing.