James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Bacik for her kind words. I regret to say that the single charger unit in the Oireachtas has not been working since last Thursday but people are working on it. I support her call for specified spaces for people who cycle to work.

Let me address an issue we raised in the House a number of weeks ago, and for which we had support across the House, namely, a radical housing plan for elderly citizens. I welcome the fact the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy English, will launch a report tomorrow, where his work will come to light. Most Members will have received a document from Alone in which it called for investment in a range of housing options for older people, including dispersed housing, shared housing in the community, dedicated sheltered housing, nursing homes, etc. This is not about putting people out of their homes but rather about giving people choice. I informed the House some weeks ago that 50 people came together in Skerries to try to develop a co-operative so that it could build houses and people could live together in a community. They need support and a template on how to do this because they are not quite sure how to go about it. What we called for in that motion, which the House supported, was a new co-operative model which would have a similar type of charitable status to approved housing bodies, so that the co-operative would not have to pay levies which would make it less expensive for it to build these houses. It is proposed to have a capital fund of 1% to 2% finance to build elderly housing. We could then think about a possible reduction in local property tax. Sites should be reserved for housing for the elderly in all our towns and villages, so that people can stay in the communities in which they have lived all their lives and have made such a commitment and given such service to and that they can continue to enjoy the friendships they have built up. We have often acknowledged that what is more important for mental health in old age is a good circle of friends rather than family. I commend the Minister of State on tomorrow's report.