Ms Claire Kenny:

To return to the observations and recommendations for the review of the housing adaptation grant, the ILMI made a comprehensive submission at the time. I will read out a few brief points.

The Housing Adaptation Grant is restrictive in terms of its income threshold and means test. The qualification test is based upon your combined gross household income from the previous taxation year. That threshold may no longer be reflective of your current household income.

Disabled people should be viewed in that circumstance under their own income, as opposed to their family income. It should not be taken as a family thing because the adaptation is for the disabled person. The submission also touches on the cost of disability, with the threshold applied to the building of new works. The house has to be built to wall plate level, which can be restrictive. It is also a retrospective grant in the sense that a disabled person, or the family helping him or her, must already have the funds to do the adaptation. They then apply for the grant afterwards. That can take time and put disabled people in financial jeopardy.