Mr. Aidan O'Reilly:

We definitely encourage local authorities to be inventive in how they respond to different grant schemes. We would not recommend to a local authority, if it were to ask us, that it stray above the €30,000 maximum in many cases. In most cases, we do not have such information as the local authority will decide on the merits of the case. From the feedback we have received, the local authorities do not stray much above the maximum amount. I believe it is very much the local authorities' view that if they were to set a precedent by exceeding the maximum amount of €30,000 or whatever the case may be, it could make it difficult for them to refuse further applications for grants exceeding the maximum amount. Rather than having individual local authorities responding in one area and not in another, the smarter way to do this would be to review the maximum amounts across all schemes and increase them where construction charges have increased.

A question was asked about earnings. The €60,000 rule has been in place for a while. Again, it is something at which we would need to look. If we were to receive an increase and increase the maximum limits and the figures for earnings, what would be the impact in trying to spread the number of grants and spread the benefit of the grants as widely as possible? I probably have more of an expectation that we would look positively at the maximum grants and perhaps not so much at the earnings limits. We have not decided on either of them, but there is a realistic prospect in terms of what might and might not change.

Senator Dolan made a good point about the gap between policies and strategies and implementation. It is absolutely the case. If we are not getting down and dirty to figure out where the blocks and challenges are in implementation, we will struggle, even with the best strategies. I know that the housing adaptation grant is just one of a suite of responses we make, but we have made the effort in working with 31 local authorities to try to flush out what are the different approaches, the blockages and the mindset of staff dealing with them. They might vary from one local authority to another. Is one local authority very rigid on the paperwork it is demanding, while another is more fluid? Is one a little more flexible on the maximum grants than another? We have tried to drill down to get the real practitioners in the local authorities to figure out some of the solutions. What we want to do next is to engage with the likes of the NDA and other bodies to try to improve the position.

I know that the number of people who require housing poses a challenge. A project is to be opened in the next couple of weeks in Slane, County Meath. It involves 17 units for people with disabilities as part of an overall development of 26. I have not seen it, but I will probably attend the opening. I look forward to seeing the quality of what is being built there and the difference the 17 houses will make in a blended development. It is only one set of new houses, but, obviously, for the people who will occupy them, it will be a real life changer.