Ms Rose Kenny:

The national housing strategy for people with a disability 2011 to 2016 and the associated national implementation framework are joint publications by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the Department of Health. Building on the programme for Government commitment to meet the housing needs of people with disabilities, the strategy was affirmed in Rebuilding Ireland – Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness and extended to 2020 to continue to deliver on its aims. The vision of the strategy is to facilitate access for people with disabilities to the appropriate range of housing and related support services, delivered in an integrated and sustainable manner, thereby promoting equality of opportunity, individual choice and independent living.

Dublin City Council's strategic plan for housing people with a disability was launched in January 2016. A multi-agency steering group, consisting of a wide range of statutory and disability advocacy organisations, including council departments, the Health Service Executive and the Irish Wheelchair Association, was established. The group meets four times a year to oversee implementation of the strategic plan. The council's housing supply programme outlines the current and proposed projects in each of the various funding streams. All new units comply with current building regulations and are fully wheelchair accessible. A template for disabled adapted units is 0being designed by the housing department's city architects division in collaboration with the steering group. Work on the template commenced in January and is ongoing. When completed, a submission will be made to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government for oversight and approval. It is proposed to incorporate the template into all new city council developments when the necessary approvals are obtained.

It is Dublin City Council's policy to ring-fence a minimum of 5% of all homes allocated per year for people with a disability. Statistics for 2017, 2018 and quarter one of 2019 are set out in the table on page 2 of the document circulated to members. Applicants must provide medical documentation with their application for social housing support. Approximately 7.5% of applicants on the council's waiting list are applicants with a disability.

In addition, the council operates a tenant accessibility and disability programme for tenants of its own stock. The scheme is available to all tenants who are experiencing a condition which makes living in their home and performing daily tasks difficult. The programme provides for adaptations such as stairlifts, ramps, level access showers and extensions. Providing for these adaptations improves tenants' quality of life and, in some cases, allows them to remain in their home and maintain independent living. This helps to reduce the requirement to transfer tenants to other properties, a process that can be disruptive for the tenant and more economically onerous for the council. The document circulated includes tables on page 3, giving details of the adaptations implemented in 2016, 2017, 2018 and to date in 2019.

The accessibility and disability programme is managed by the council's housing maintenance section. All applications require a doctor's certificate, while some such as those for stairlifts and extensions require an occupational therapy report. All valid applications are surveyed before a decision is made on an application to ensure the works are feasible. If granted, the works are carried out by a contractor appointed by the council who is supervised by the housing maintenance department in carrying them out. The budget for the programme is €2.5 million and subject to considerable demands. Funds can be recouped from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. The limit for recoupment is 90% of the cost or, in the case of extensions, €75,000, subject to the conditions of the Department's scheme.

Dublin City Council administers three housing grant schemes which have been designed to provide assistance for people making adaptations to their privately owned home to meet their medical needs, as well as for older people in poor housing conditions carrying out essential repairs to their owner-occupied home. The schemes provide financial and technical assistance in the implementation of adaptations and improvements to homes to make them more sustainable for independent living.

The housing adaptation for people with a disability scheme has been designed to assist in the carrying out of works which are necessary for the purpose of rendering a house more sustainable for the accommodation of a person with a disability. The works allowable under the scheme include the provision of bathroom extensions, bedroom extensions, en suite bathrooms, bathroom conversions, garage conversions, under-stairs toilet facilities, stairlifts, through-floor lifts, electronic environmental controls, adaptations to facilitate wheelchair access and other works which are reasonably necessary for the purpose of rendering a house more suitable for the accommodation of a person with a disability. The maximum grant available under the scheme is €30,000. The table on page 4 of the document provided for members sets out the income eligibility bands and grants available under the scheme.

The mobility aids housing grants scheme covers a basic suite of works to address mobility problems. The grant typically covers such works as level access showers, ramps, grab rails, stairlifts and other minor works. The maximum grant available under the scheme is €6,000 or 100% of the approved costs, whichever is the lesser. The grant is available to households the gross annual income of which does not exceed €30,000.

The housing aid for older persons grants scheme is open to people over 66 years of age and has been designed to assist those living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out. The works typically grant-aided under the scheme include rewiring, the provision of central heating and the replacement of a boiler broken beyond repair.

The maximum grant available under this scheme is €8,000. The details of the scheme are set out in the documentation.

All applications under the housing adaptation grant scheme for people with a disability and the housing aid for older people are assessed based on gross household income and shall be between 30% and 95% of the approved cost of the works. Household income is calculated as the annual gross income of all household members over 18, or over 23 if in full-time education, in the previous tax year. This is done in accordance with the Department of the Housing, Planning and Local Government guidelines.

Allocation for 2019 is €8.4 million, of which €1.7 million will be provided from Dublin City Council's own resources.