Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegates for the presentations, which were very good. I am not sure my point was covered but I will make it very briefly and ask a highly specific question. It concerns the housing adaptation grant for people with disabilities with private houses. I understand the criteria. The income threshold is €60,000 and the grant is €30,000. This leads to many problems. Some adaptations can cost from €50,000 to €80,000. If the income threshold is €60,000 and both parents are on the average industrial wage, they can get nothing. This is absolutely incredible. There is a disregard for children under the working family payment and so forth, but the parents are put over the limit, meaning they get nothing. That is extremely discriminatory. Will there be a review of the income thresholds or the grant? In some cases, there should be a discretionary element. A friend of mine has carried out an adaptation in Clondalkin that cost over €100,000. She got less than €12,000 from the county council. The adaptation was badly needed for her child. There should be a review of the thresholds or the grant given to parents. Where a child has special needs, those needs have to be met in the household. This does not come cheaply. Eleven or 12 years ago, the arrangement was based on where one was living in the county. The delegates may correct me if I am wrong. Land costs and skills costs were taken into account. Will the threshold be up for review in the coming period?