Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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320. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for appropriate housing provision for senior citizens in coming years, in particular those with physical and-or intellectual disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20847/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The provision of housing services is the responsibility in the first place of local authorities, as the housing authorities for their areas. My Department provides funding to the authorities for the provision of social housing supports for their citizens, including the construction and acquisition by the authorities of new social housing stock and support for adaptations to existing housing stock to meet the need of elderly people. Local authorities may provide accommodation for elderly people as part of their broader programme of social housing provision. The Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) is an important programme of E xchequer support for the provision of suitable housing for priority groups, including the elderly and persons with physical and or intellectual disabilities. Projects under this Scheme are implemented by approved housing bodies, who have considerable expertise in this area of housing provision and , currently, there is an invitation issued to those concerned to submit new proposals under the Scheme. This is in addition to the €151 million of funding for new projects approved under the Scheme in July 2015, many of them for elderly people.

In addition, the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability provide funding across three different schemes to support the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people and people with a disability. These grants assist such people in private houses to have necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works carried out in order to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs.

Given that the ageing of our population represents one of the most significant demographic and societal developments that Ireland will encounter in the years ahead, the issue of the provision of housing for older people is being considered in the context of the Action Plan for Housing, which is at an advanced stage of development within my Department.