Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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318. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on his Department’s engagement with the Department of Health regarding the rolling out of State-funded old age villages; the number of old age villages built or under construction by the State (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8742/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All (published in September 2021) provides a new housing plan for Ireland to 2030 with the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes through a steady supply of housing in the right locations, with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system. The strategy sets out, over four pathways, a broad suite of measures to achieve its policy objectives together with a financial commitment of in excess of €4 billion per annum.

Under Housing for All, there is a policy objective to increase and improve housing options for older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence. Housing for All builds on and takes forward the ongoing actions in "Housing Options for Our Ageing Population" policy statement from 2019, published jointly by my Department and the Department of Health, which provides policy options in support of a range of housing and accommodation alternatives for older people.

The actions included the development of a catalogue of housing options that provide a range of choices that meet the diverse need of an ageing population, spanning owner occupier, private rental and social housing, whilst providing accessible care and the associated support needs.

My Department, together with the local authorities and the Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), is guiding and delivering age-friendly housing within this framework. Given this broader approach to housing options for older people, there are no specific plans of the nature referred to by the Deputy. Rather local authorities and AHBs are providing older persons housing in a variety of ways. More information on the range of age friendly homes is available at .

The policy statement, together with the third and final Implementation Group report, are available on the Government's website at:

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My Department continues to collaborate with the Department of Health on the implementation of relevant ongoing actions, together with engagement on advancing the most appropriate framework, under the strategic framework of Housing for All, to ensure the effective integration of health and housing policies at national and local level.