James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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737. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the way in which his Department has provided social housing in line with A Vision for Change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43016/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Policy responsibility for A Vision for Change, which is being implemented by the HSE in conjunction with other agencies, is a matter for the Minister for Health.

The National Housing Strategy for People With a Disability (NHSPWD) 2011 - 2016 and associated National Implementation Framework, were jointly published by my Department and the Department of Health.  They set out the Government’s broad framework for the delivery of housing for people with disabilities through mainstream housing policy and were developed as part of a coherent framework, in conjunction with the Government’s mental health policy, A Vision for Change, and Congregated Settings Report. The partnership approach adopted under the Strategy recognises that the provision of suitable housing is only one element in supporting people with disabilities to live fully inclusive lives. Building on the Programme for a Partnership Government commitment to meet the housing needs of people with disabilities, the NHSPWD has been extended to 2020 to continue to deliver on its aims.

Implementation of identified actions in the NHSPWD is being driven primarily by the Housing Agency by means of a dedicated sub-group comprising representatives from my Department, the Health Service Executive (HSE), Department of Health, local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and various disability representative organisations.  Through that forum, a Steering Group has been recently established to progress actions under Strategic Aim 5 of the NHSPWD in relation to meeting the housing needs of people with a mental health disability.