'Disgraceful' - People outraged by debate on Katie Hannon for elderly to downsize to free up homes

Panellist Valerie Cox said that the idea of 'right-sizing', the term used by the government, was infuriating. She said that people are entitled to downsize of their own accord but older people should not be pressured to do so under any circumstances. As she said: "How are we choosing the older people?"

Minister O'Donnell defended the proposal by saying he wants to provide choices for people on a voluntary basis and that there may have been a misinterpretation of this. In terms of the housing crisis in Ireland, the Minister admitted that we do "have an emergency situation here."

The debate has stirred a massive response online, with one person simply saying: "What an absolutely useless response by this government to the housing crisis."

Another said: "Leave our parents alone. They bought their homes, they built a life in a community, how dare they be expected to give that up! It's their home. Leave them alone."

Someone else said: "No way should anyone have to leave their home. How dare they even come up with such an idea."