I would just like to say to the Commissioner that we come up with all these great ideas about The Year of the Disabled, The Year of the Elderly, The Year of the Family. For one year everybody thinks attention is focused; and it is in certain areas, issues are highlighted. But after that year is finished, invariably, regardless of what programmes the EU has attempted to put in place afterwards, they have failed to tackle the real problems. With particular regard to the elderly, I agree totally with Mr Martin about the issue of carers.

There is one other very important issue which is never highlighted, that is, the number of elderly who are homeless. The national governments are failing in their duty to provide housing for the elderly, but also the Union - from the Commission and the Council of Ministers - is failing to put a proper housing and homeless policy within the White Paper on social policy.

I would like to ask what measures you would think the Commission could bring forward under the guise of extending The Year of the Elderly for that particular issue.